SOUTH AFRICA: An African Hunting Rookie In The Eastern Cape - KMG Hunting Safaris

Stir-crazy describes my current state of mind perfectly. I’m sitting on the kitchen floor in my nearly empty Idaho home, sorting through what pan to throw away, which cans of beans to take, and what to leave in case the house doesn’t sell and I continue to have two mortgages against my will.

In the last two months my wife and I made some life-changing decisions. We purchased a house in our childhood hometown (after the seller gave us 3 days total to decide because another “local”, a move-in pharmaceutical multimillionaire that was going to use the house to "house his workers", started waving a check in front of his nose). I then put in my notice at my job in Idaho before securing my next job, listed the Idaho house, then secured my next job, then started moving, kept working, moved my family, and now here I am, sitting on the floor, getting ready to move myself. My last day of work at the only real big-boy job I’ve ever had is Thursday. I’ll drive away on Friday, we’ll coach up our parents on the kids’ habits and preferences over the weekend, and on Monday it’s off to Cape Town on our first trip to Africa. Just me and my wife, our first vacation alone in three years.

My Background

Medical school was a miserable four years. That experience also made me stir-crazy, but it had one important benefit. It made me long to just be outside. During that time I picked up my rifle and started hunting again for the first time since I killed my first and last deer more than 10 years before. I finally honored the long family tradition of skipping class to go hunting. Successful mule deer and elk hunts followed. Then a move to the Midwest, and I added whitetail. Hunting podcasts and books were my escape from 24-hour shifts in the hospital. And a friend suggested an innocent little read called Death in the Long Grass. Haven’t heard of it? Avoid it...unless you want some dangerous seeds to start taking root in the hunting fields of your imagination. I finished my stint in the Midwest, and got my real job in Idaho. And as soon as that was settled I started researching hunting outfitters in Africa. We took a trip to Scotland, where I was cured of any reservations toward foreign, and, even more questionable to me at the time, guided hunting. I took a management red stag, a trophy red stag, and a roe buck on that trip. Since then, it’s been full steam ahead for Africa.

Getting the Safari Booked (and Marius being a patient man)

A not-quite-HD YouTube video of someone hunting the Eastern Cape of South Africa showed me the type of country I’d like to hunt for my first trip to Africa. The rolling hills, green valleys, the animals, and their habitat looked just right. So, I reached out to Marius Goosen at @KMG Hunting Safaris. He promptly answered my questions and made great suggestions. It was obvious I had found someone that would bend over backwards to help me have a great trip, while also being upfront about his opinions and preferences. Those first conversations were in 2022- four years, five vehicles, seven hunting rifles bought and sold, and the birth of two baby girls ago. Life happens, but finally the trip is less than one week away.

The Itinerary

First, we're flying Delta from Atlanta to Cape Town (if anyone is on that flight out of Atlanta on the night of August 3rd, let me know, I’d love to hear some hunting stories. Alternatively, if you need help falling asleep on the flight, I can tell you some of my hunting stories). Then three days exploring Cape Town, hopefully recovering from travel and regaining some sanity. And then on to the main event, flying to the Eastern Cape for 7 hunting days at KMG. I told Marius my hunting wish list would be whatever is native to the Eastern Cape, or that the area does particularly well, or that he and the professional hunters just enjoy pursuing. So based on those extremely specific preferences, we came up with the list.

Equipment Info for Gear Junkies, Gun Nuts, Knife and Watch Nerds

Rifles

• Sako 90 Adventure in 30-06. 20” barrel with SilencerCo Scythe Ti suppressor. Hand loaded with 175 grain Barnes LRX bullets over H4350 in Lapua brass. This rifle and bullet combo has a Idaho deer, a Utah elk, and one swim in the Salmon River to its credit in one full season of hunting. It wears a Swarovski Z5i 3.5-18x44 scope and a Spartan adapter for my bipod and quad sticks.
• Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Grade III in 270 Winchester. This is a South Carolina production rifle, with a Timney trigger I swapped in. It will be loaded with factory Nosler Trophy Grade ammo with 150 grain Partitions. This has been my backup rifle for years, and it loves those Partition bullets. It wears a Leupold VX3i 3.5-10x40 scope and a Spartan adapter.

Binoculars

• Swarovski EL 8.5x42
• Sig Sauer Zulu 6 HDX 16x42

Knives

• Leatherman Charge in Orange G10, with assorted driver bits in case of scope or rifle problems (for my pack).
• Victorinox Farmer X and Benchmade Bugout (in my pockets).

Watches

• Casio G-Shock DW-9052 for when there is a possibility of being mugged
• Tudor Pelagos Ultra for when there is a low possibility of being mugged

That's all for now. I think I'll post my next update from Cape Town. If you have any coaching, suggestions, or questions, let 'em rip!

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I'll play ...... whats on the animal wish list ?

You will have a great time with Marius and young Nick, great people and hard hunting.

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Charlie64 said:

You will have a great time with Marius and young Nick, great people and hard hunting.

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I love to hear this.

I wasn’t sure if I should put the list down because I know how much things can change, but as of now: Cape Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck. And at any moment, we could be behind the hounds after Caracal. The biggest surprise of this whole planning process was my wife, who has never hunted a big game animal, saying she wants to go after a springbok! So those are the five for now.

It’s been fun having my wife out on the gun range, and she is shooting the 30-06 very well.

I’ve been swimming against my will in the salmon river as well. . .
Also been to the east cape afew times. I like your list, was glad to see you had bushbuck on there as they are overlooked but really a special hunt and trophy. I would add waterbuck but truly my list of must haves would be about 15 species long! Have a good time, luck be with you and just relax and let Africa happen.

Might as well get the Eland and get the Spiral Horn Slam out of the way, not to mention when you taste the Eland Filets you will turn you nose up at a steak when you get back.

Looking forward to the rest of the report! Good luck and safe travels.

Shaw said:

Might as well get the Eland and get the Spiral Horn Slam out of the way, not to mention when you taste the Eland Filets you will turn you nose up at a steak when you get back.

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I’ve heard that and I’ll definitely jump on the opportunity if it’s presented!

Cooposo; You chose well. I hunted with KMG in June this year. You can read my report here on this forum by searching "SOUTH AFRICA: Africa Is Once Again Calling My Name" My advice to you is to be prepared to pivot from your wish list as opportunities present themselves. You're in for the time of your life with @KMG Hunting Safaris.

Awesome. Great back story, wishing you well on your safari!

I have hunted with Marius twice. He will ensure you have a great safari.
You list looks good. Don't be surprised once you wife gets her first springbok that the springbok slam gets mentioned. Ask me how I know. i would also suggest that you have Marius take you out for a night hunt on some of the small predators and a bush pig.

Errors, Delta Style

We had a small list of things we were interested in seeing while in Cape Town, but the goal was largely to relax and recover from travel. Delta did their best to not let that happen.

In Atlanta, I was tracking my ammo case, rifle case, and checked bag with Air Tags. As we prepared to board the flight to Cape Town, I knew that the ammo and checked bag were close to the plane, and that the rifle was not. I brought this to the attention of the Delta agent, who said not to worry, and that rifles were the last to be loaded. So I made the mistake of not pushing the issue more. The end result was me, my wife, my ammo, and the checked bag en route to Cape Town, and the rifles staying in Atlanta.

I got some extra time to stew on this as, ten minutes before our expected landing in Cape Town, our flight was diverted to Johannesburg. Apparently a Kenyan airlines flight blew a tire on the runway. So we had an exciting bonus trip to Johannesburg, a riveting wait on the tarmac for a couple of hours, and then the flight back to Cape Town.

I utilized Africa Sky’s VIP rifle service, which would have been very helpful if there was a rifle to claim. The handler met us at the gate, helped me find the ammo, made sure we didn’t hop in any random cab, and that was that. The lost luggage lady confirmed that not only did Delta fail to get the rifle case on our flight, they also failed to get it on the next departing flight to Cape Town as well. She was kind and helpful, and later tracked me down in the airport to give me back some paperwork I left behind.

We stayed at the Victoria and Alfred hotel on the waterfront, which I had specifically booked because of…drum roll…their ability to store rifles! But it was still a wonderful stay, with a comfortable room, an amazing shower, and daily breakfast that was among the best hotel breakfasts I’ve had. In between meals, shopping, and a trip to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, I continually tried to get in contact with any actual human at Delta or the Atlanta airport, to no avail.

The gardens were impressive in their breadth, and I especially enjoyed the conservatory that showed flora from the different parts of South Africa. However, I couldn’t help but feel that seeing those gardens in the middle of winter pales in comparison to any other time of the year. That night we ate prawns and chicken at Mozambik, which we both enjoyed.

Delta’s ultimate solution to the rifle situation was not helpful. They were going to send the rifles to Cape Town on the next flight, which would have arrived after we were already at the hunting lodge in the Eastern Cape! Marius from KMG, Darren from Travel Express, and Leoni from Africa Sky all reached out to anyone they thought might help, but the only conclusion was that I personally must be in Cape Town in person when the rifle arrived, so that it could be cleared at its originally designated point of entry. So the only choice was to burn a day and a half of hunting and stay in Cape Town, or try to talk to an actual human at Delta and have them hold the rifles until my return trip.

I wasn’t about to lose hunting days hoping Delta could manage to get the rifle to Cape Town on attempt #3. And I really didn’t want them to sit in Cape Town for any amount of time. And, miraculously, my wife somehow got a real life baggage rep from Delta on the phone! So the rifles are now at the lost baggage storage in Atlanta, we are moving forward without them, and all the load development and pre-clearance was for naught. Along with the rifle are my shooting sticks, quad sticks, bipod, and knives. However, I’m still having to go through the firearms clearance offices and paying Airlink extra fees for taking my ammo along with me.

Having said all that, the hunting will soon begin! And on time too. And the people we met in Cape Town, and especially at the hotel, were universally kind and helpful. It was a pleasant change to be in a touristy city where I, as a tourist, was treated extremely well. It was nice to be in a mall that was not run down. The food was great, Uber was reliable, and the waterfront was a fun place to spend three days.

This only bodes well for a fantastic finish to the trip ! Best of Luck