If you've seen my intro post, you'll see I'm the "new guy" on this site, but I'm not exactly a "new guy" to African hunting. As such, I thought I post up a hunting report of one of two of last years trips to Botswana.
Bob, a friend I've taken to Namibia a couple of times in the past, called me up early last year (2019) and said he wanted to go back to Africa but wanted to go someplace "new". So, I dug around a bit and found Gerhard and Maggie Koch, owners of Koch Safaris in Botswana. They are the managers of a HUGE private game farm called Sass Post, on the eastern boarder of Botswana at the extreme S. end of what's collectively referred to as "the Tuli" block.
As you can see from the map above, it's about a two hour drive N. from the capital, Gaborone and is bordered on the E. side by the Limpopo River. Their operating area cover about 200,000 acres. The western boundary is high fenced and the entire property is subdivided into smaller rectangular sub-blocks of approximately 30K-40K acres each. They orient roughly NW/SE with the western high-fence on one side, high fence on the north and south sides but he eastern sides are generally open all the way to the river and beyond into RSA.
Since Bob and I were not really interested in "trophy" hunting, we worked out a cull package of 10 impala, 10 blue w/b and 2 burchell's zebra each and a cull giraffe for myself over 6-days, hunting 1x1. Bob was also interested in maybe a croc, but since those aren't available in Botswana, Gerhard organized a little side trip to a friend's place in RSA . They are also situated on the banks of the Limpopo river but on the RSA side. Like all rivers, the Limpopo forms "ox bows" and during the rainy season floods, the crocs end up land locked in these ox bows when the river recedes. So, we agree to add a couple of extra days to our total trip. He was also looking for a trophy red h/b and burchell's zebra (already had a hartmann's), and if we had time, he'd think about maybe a limpopo bushbuck.
Bob came to hunting a bit late in his life so, I recommended this type of ox bow vs river croc hunt because if the shot wasn't perfect and anchored the croc on the bank, if it got back into a river, it was pretty much gone; However, in the somewhat confined ox bow situation, if it wasn't anchored with the first shot, it might come back out a some point or MAYBE float up and more likely to be recovered at some point.
We did the Atlanta/J'berg trip on Delta and just over-nighted in the City Lodge Hotel there at the airport. I've tried several of the popular off airport B&B's and while they are nice, the general convenience of just staying at the airport just makes things simpler. Next morning was a short hop on Air Botswana and Gerhard met us at the airport with rifle import permits in hand and out the door. Made a couple of short stops in Gabby and then a couple of hour drive back across the boarder into RSA and to Tautana in time for sundowners and dinner.
Next morning, after breakfast we did the obligatory "zero checks" with the rifles. It was pretty cool and we took our time. This was to allow the temps to come up and get the crocs out and up on the banks.
Mid-late morning, we started checking the ox bows. First one, nothing. Second one, just a few small ones. Third one, they made a slow crawl up the embankment and it had a shooter on the far bank maybe 65m way. Bob was using a Ruger Alaskan in 375 Ruger with 300gr softs and had a great stable prone position. He did anchor the croc with the first, but it did take a couple more to finish it. Was a very respectable one, just shy of 12ft.
After collecting it up and getting it back to the skinning shed, we had a late lunch. Since it was too late to make the drive back across the boarder to Gerhard's, we just took an afternoon drive around the property. As just about sunset, we happen across a very nice Roan. A little negotiating later, they settle on a price and the hunt is on. Light was fading fast and they get a chance at him and the bullet is deflected by a limb and wounds the Roan. We track blood until it's just too dark and head back and "make a plan" for the next morning.
Early breakfast and back on the track at first light. Pick up the blood trail but the animal seems to be moving well. It did bed down overnight but was back up and moving and able to stay well ahead of us. Finally, late that afternoon we did managed to catch it in an area of very tall grass and the finisher was given. Bob ended up really working for this one.
Again, too late in the day to make to Sass Post. Early breakfast and on the road the next morning.
Passing through the main gate and we were greeted by several giraffe and a few hundred impala. It was like Bush Gardens...only better. The drive on the dirt two-track to the camps near the banks of the Limpopo and the numbers of animals was very impressive to say the least. Gerhard and Maggie actually run two separate "camps" separated by a few hundred meters. The "small camp" and quarters are where the original land owners lived. I stayed in a converted rondoval and Bob in a converted workshop. Each "camp" has it's own main house. When my wife and I went back in Aug, we stayed at the other camp an will show pictures of that later.
Arrive in camp early afternoon and do a bit of unpacking while Maggie finishes lunch preps. We had a very good late lunch and again headed for the rifle range for quick checks. All was good and piled on the bakkie for a bit of an orientation drive/hunt. My PH was still finishing up with another group at the other camp and I'd meet him that evening. Lots of game. And I mean LOTS of game. Impala everywhere. We didn't shoot anything that afternoon, mostly by choice. The normal jet lag that tends to set in around the third day was kicking in a bit. So, back to camp and real sundowners at sundown, a TERRIFIC meal by Maggie and her staff. My PH for the rest of the trip, Basjan Bakker, arrived for dinner and got aquatinted over a little Scotch, finished unpacking and turned in early.
Not going to boor you with the daily "shot by shot" but, we had a BLAST! To summarize, we both filled our cull quota. I traded my two zebra for a cull eland. Bob, ended up taking a very nice blue w/b and his Limpopo Bushbuck but could find a suitable red h/b.
I did end up taking an old "stink bull" giraffe the last day. He was definitely near his last. Once down, we could see he was covered in ticks from the base of his tail to his penis sheath and his teeth were pretty much gone. He'd been fighting a good bit and was recently out of his "herd".
And a really nice "cull" blue w/b.
This is an example of one mornings, "work".
Bob and I had such a good time, the when I got home I told my wife, "we're going back!" As it was, we were already booked to go to Namibia to my friend's place there that Aug (2019) that we decided to skip our normal car tour there at the end and go to Bots for a week. That will be another trip report.
Needless to say as I've posted it already, if the travel bans are lifted and the airlines are back open, I'm going back to Botswana and Koch Safaris this Aug (2020) with friends and hope to make a trip with new friend's in 2021.
Bob, a friend I've taken to Namibia a couple of times in the past, called me up early last year (2019) and said he wanted to go back to Africa but wanted to go someplace "new". So, I dug around a bit and found Gerhard and Maggie Koch, owners of Koch Safaris in Botswana. They are the managers of a HUGE private game farm called Sass Post, on the eastern boarder of Botswana at the extreme S. end of what's collectively referred to as "the Tuli" block.
As you can see from the map above, it's about a two hour drive N. from the capital, Gaborone and is bordered on the E. side by the Limpopo River. Their operating area cover about 200,000 acres. The western boundary is high fenced and the entire property is subdivided into smaller rectangular sub-blocks of approximately 30K-40K acres each. They orient roughly NW/SE with the western high-fence on one side, high fence on the north and south sides but he eastern sides are generally open all the way to the river and beyond into RSA.
Since Bob and I were not really interested in "trophy" hunting, we worked out a cull package of 10 impala, 10 blue w/b and 2 burchell's zebra each and a cull giraffe for myself over 6-days, hunting 1x1. Bob was also interested in maybe a croc, but since those aren't available in Botswana, Gerhard organized a little side trip to a friend's place in RSA . They are also situated on the banks of the Limpopo river but on the RSA side. Like all rivers, the Limpopo forms "ox bows" and during the rainy season floods, the crocs end up land locked in these ox bows when the river recedes. So, we agree to add a couple of extra days to our total trip. He was also looking for a trophy red h/b and burchell's zebra (already had a hartmann's), and if we had time, he'd think about maybe a limpopo bushbuck.
Bob came to hunting a bit late in his life so, I recommended this type of ox bow vs river croc hunt because if the shot wasn't perfect and anchored the croc on the bank, if it got back into a river, it was pretty much gone; However, in the somewhat confined ox bow situation, if it wasn't anchored with the first shot, it might come back out a some point or MAYBE float up and more likely to be recovered at some point.
We did the Atlanta/J'berg trip on Delta and just over-nighted in the City Lodge Hotel there at the airport. I've tried several of the popular off airport B&B's and while they are nice, the general convenience of just staying at the airport just makes things simpler. Next morning was a short hop on Air Botswana and Gerhard met us at the airport with rifle import permits in hand and out the door. Made a couple of short stops in Gabby and then a couple of hour drive back across the boarder into RSA and to Tautana in time for sundowners and dinner.
Next morning, after breakfast we did the obligatory "zero checks" with the rifles. It was pretty cool and we took our time. This was to allow the temps to come up and get the crocs out and up on the banks.
Mid-late morning, we started checking the ox bows. First one, nothing. Second one, just a few small ones. Third one, they made a slow crawl up the embankment and it had a shooter on the far bank maybe 65m way. Bob was using a Ruger Alaskan in 375 Ruger with 300gr softs and had a great stable prone position. He did anchor the croc with the first, but it did take a couple more to finish it. Was a very respectable one, just shy of 12ft.
After collecting it up and getting it back to the skinning shed, we had a late lunch. Since it was too late to make the drive back across the boarder to Gerhard's, we just took an afternoon drive around the property. As just about sunset, we happen across a very nice Roan. A little negotiating later, they settle on a price and the hunt is on. Light was fading fast and they get a chance at him and the bullet is deflected by a limb and wounds the Roan. We track blood until it's just too dark and head back and "make a plan" for the next morning.
Early breakfast and back on the track at first light. Pick up the blood trail but the animal seems to be moving well. It did bed down overnight but was back up and moving and able to stay well ahead of us. Finally, late that afternoon we did managed to catch it in an area of very tall grass and the finisher was given. Bob ended up really working for this one.
Again, too late in the day to make to Sass Post. Early breakfast and on the road the next morning.
Passing through the main gate and we were greeted by several giraffe and a few hundred impala. It was like Bush Gardens...only better. The drive on the dirt two-track to the camps near the banks of the Limpopo and the numbers of animals was very impressive to say the least. Gerhard and Maggie actually run two separate "camps" separated by a few hundred meters. The "small camp" and quarters are where the original land owners lived. I stayed in a converted rondoval and Bob in a converted workshop. Each "camp" has it's own main house. When my wife and I went back in Aug, we stayed at the other camp an will show pictures of that later.
Arrive in camp early afternoon and do a bit of unpacking while Maggie finishes lunch preps. We had a very good late lunch and again headed for the rifle range for quick checks. All was good and piled on the bakkie for a bit of an orientation drive/hunt. My PH was still finishing up with another group at the other camp and I'd meet him that evening. Lots of game. And I mean LOTS of game. Impala everywhere. We didn't shoot anything that afternoon, mostly by choice. The normal jet lag that tends to set in around the third day was kicking in a bit. So, back to camp and real sundowners at sundown, a TERRIFIC meal by Maggie and her staff. My PH for the rest of the trip, Basjan Bakker, arrived for dinner and got aquatinted over a little Scotch, finished unpacking and turned in early.
Not going to boor you with the daily "shot by shot" but, we had a BLAST! To summarize, we both filled our cull quota. I traded my two zebra for a cull eland. Bob, ended up taking a very nice blue w/b and his Limpopo Bushbuck but could find a suitable red h/b.
I did end up taking an old "stink bull" giraffe the last day. He was definitely near his last. Once down, we could see he was covered in ticks from the base of his tail to his penis sheath and his teeth were pretty much gone. He'd been fighting a good bit and was recently out of his "herd".
And a really nice "cull" blue w/b.
This is an example of one mornings, "work".
Bob and I had such a good time, the when I got home I told my wife, "we're going back!" As it was, we were already booked to go to Namibia to my friend's place there that Aug (2019) that we decided to skip our normal car tour there at the end and go to Bots for a week. That will be another trip report.
Needless to say as I've posted it already, if the travel bans are lifted and the airlines are back open, I'm going back to Botswana and Koch Safaris this Aug (2020) with friends and hope to make a trip with new friend's in 2021.
