RichD
AH veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2022
- Messages
- 133
- Reaction score
- 235
- Location
- Parker, Colorado
- Media
- 8
- Member of
- NRA (Life), RMEF, DU, SCI
- Hunted
- Botswana
This safari to Botswana was my first to Africa and I wanted to share just a few photos and comments. Two friends of mine, Harold and Willie, hunted with @NKWE SAFARIS - Jaco Visser - in 2022. Harold has hunted in Africa16 or so times. This was Willie's first Africa safari. They purchased what was billed as a "cull hunt". Both returned from that trip 100% satisfied with every aspect of their experience. Harold called me when they returned and said Jaco was willing to offer the same package in 2023 if we could get a group together and commit quickly. So, I decide to do my first trip in 2023.
Aaron F posted a fantastic report of his trip with NKWE in 2022 and Matt Vejar posted a well-documented report of his trip in 2023. Reading their reports only served to build up my enthusiasm to the point that I was already planning plaques to mount my yet unhunted trophies of the trip!
I did not know how to set my expectations for the hunt. Yes, it was billed as a "cull hunt", but the game Harold and Willie took was well beyond what I would consider as cull. My expectation of a "cull" would be something like a deformed horn, a small undersized animal, or something no one else would want to take. Well, I was not a bit disappointed by the animals I took, or any aspect of the time spent with NKWE.
The camp is not fancy like many camps I have seen online or in the African Hunting Gazette. There is not a pool, hot stone massage at the end of the day, or concierge service to the nearest village to make macrame wall decor. This is a guy's bush hunting camp in the Kalahari Desert. And it is 100% fantastic!
Jaco is the REAL DEAL when it comes to a PH. That "som ma ma beach" knows his stuff. He's not some fly-by-night, trained and licensed in 3 weeks dude. His family has been in the Ghanzi area since the 1880's and he has an excellent relationship with the clients and every staff member. He is every bit as good of a spotter, tracker, and stalker as any hunter or guide I've known in my 55 years of hunting big game in the US. He is also pretty damn good at cooking a tenderloin over the open pit fire. He quickly develops a rapport with the clients and you are comfortable from the start. He has another PH, Quinton, working with him. Quinton is several years younger than Jaco, and is very similar to Jaco in working with clients. I had the pleasure of hunting with both of these gentlemen during our trip and I have to give kudos to each of them. They worked tirelessly to have all 3 of our hunters fill their hunt packages.
Two of us hunters also added additional game. Gary added a male steenbok to go with the female he took in a previous hunt. I added a kudu and warthog to my base package at what we all believe are very reasonable fees. We all used their rifles at no daily charge and paid a reasonable amount for the ammo used. I used a .30-06, .308 Win, and 7mm Rem Mag at different times, depending on which vehicle I was in. George took a very impressive gemsbok of something north of 39".
The trackers are in a universe of their own and I will never know how they do what they do. Tossie, Georgie, Happy, and Lago are all Kalahari bushmen and can read tracks and sign like we read a magazine - they are born to it, it is in their DNA handed down from generations of ancestors who have hunted this region. I have to admit to a very poorly placed shot on a zebra. Tossie and Georgie set off to find the critter and picked up a speck of dried blood in the sand. They tracked sign for 2 miles - a speck in the sand, 200 yards later a speck on a leaf, 300 yards later a speck on a twig. Jaco and I then joined up with them and we followed the sign with them for almost 6 more miles before catching up to their herd of 30 zebra and finishing the kill. When talking about the trackers skills, the word "magic" came up many times.
I have to put in a word about Godfrey. Godfrey is a Godsend to the camp. He is from Zimbabwe and a culinary school trained chef. He is one of the happiest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He is your "morning wake-up call" guy. Every meal he prepared was beyond what you would expect at a hunting camp. we ate the prime cuts of game, eland and kudu tails (!), and many traditional African dishes and sides. The meals are served family style, because that is how you are treated - like a family member! On the last day of our stay, Godfrey jokingly asked me if I would bring him back with me in a suitcase. I was worried that if I did, my wife would keep him instead of me.
Anyway, I hope I've covered most of the bases in just a few words. Below are pics of 4 of the animals I took. Once I figure out how to get pics of the gemsbok, wildebeest, and warthog from my phone to the PC, I will add those. If you have any questions or need some additional information, please let me know and I will do my best to provide an answer. The only thing to add is that Jaco is in the process of putting a new camp together on the north border of the Kalahari Game reserve which will be unfenced to the reserve. He hopes to have it open next year with more amenities (maybe even a hot stone massage and macrame classes). That should be one hell of a place to hunt and if I get the opportunity to return for an African safari I know where my go-to place will be!
Aaron F posted a fantastic report of his trip with NKWE in 2022 and Matt Vejar posted a well-documented report of his trip in 2023. Reading their reports only served to build up my enthusiasm to the point that I was already planning plaques to mount my yet unhunted trophies of the trip!
I did not know how to set my expectations for the hunt. Yes, it was billed as a "cull hunt", but the game Harold and Willie took was well beyond what I would consider as cull. My expectation of a "cull" would be something like a deformed horn, a small undersized animal, or something no one else would want to take. Well, I was not a bit disappointed by the animals I took, or any aspect of the time spent with NKWE.
The camp is not fancy like many camps I have seen online or in the African Hunting Gazette. There is not a pool, hot stone massage at the end of the day, or concierge service to the nearest village to make macrame wall decor. This is a guy's bush hunting camp in the Kalahari Desert. And it is 100% fantastic!
Jaco is the REAL DEAL when it comes to a PH. That "som ma ma beach" knows his stuff. He's not some fly-by-night, trained and licensed in 3 weeks dude. His family has been in the Ghanzi area since the 1880's and he has an excellent relationship with the clients and every staff member. He is every bit as good of a spotter, tracker, and stalker as any hunter or guide I've known in my 55 years of hunting big game in the US. He is also pretty damn good at cooking a tenderloin over the open pit fire. He quickly develops a rapport with the clients and you are comfortable from the start. He has another PH, Quinton, working with him. Quinton is several years younger than Jaco, and is very similar to Jaco in working with clients. I had the pleasure of hunting with both of these gentlemen during our trip and I have to give kudos to each of them. They worked tirelessly to have all 3 of our hunters fill their hunt packages.
Two of us hunters also added additional game. Gary added a male steenbok to go with the female he took in a previous hunt. I added a kudu and warthog to my base package at what we all believe are very reasonable fees. We all used their rifles at no daily charge and paid a reasonable amount for the ammo used. I used a .30-06, .308 Win, and 7mm Rem Mag at different times, depending on which vehicle I was in. George took a very impressive gemsbok of something north of 39".
The trackers are in a universe of their own and I will never know how they do what they do. Tossie, Georgie, Happy, and Lago are all Kalahari bushmen and can read tracks and sign like we read a magazine - they are born to it, it is in their DNA handed down from generations of ancestors who have hunted this region. I have to admit to a very poorly placed shot on a zebra. Tossie and Georgie set off to find the critter and picked up a speck of dried blood in the sand. They tracked sign for 2 miles - a speck in the sand, 200 yards later a speck on a leaf, 300 yards later a speck on a twig. Jaco and I then joined up with them and we followed the sign with them for almost 6 more miles before catching up to their herd of 30 zebra and finishing the kill. When talking about the trackers skills, the word "magic" came up many times.
I have to put in a word about Godfrey. Godfrey is a Godsend to the camp. He is from Zimbabwe and a culinary school trained chef. He is one of the happiest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He is your "morning wake-up call" guy. Every meal he prepared was beyond what you would expect at a hunting camp. we ate the prime cuts of game, eland and kudu tails (!), and many traditional African dishes and sides. The meals are served family style, because that is how you are treated - like a family member! On the last day of our stay, Godfrey jokingly asked me if I would bring him back with me in a suitcase. I was worried that if I did, my wife would keep him instead of me.
Anyway, I hope I've covered most of the bases in just a few words. Below are pics of 4 of the animals I took. Once I figure out how to get pics of the gemsbok, wildebeest, and warthog from my phone to the PC, I will add those. If you have any questions or need some additional information, please let me know and I will do my best to provide an answer. The only thing to add is that Jaco is in the process of putting a new camp together on the north border of the Kalahari Game reserve which will be unfenced to the reserve. He hopes to have it open next year with more amenities (maybe even a hot stone massage and macrame classes). That should be one hell of a place to hunt and if I get the opportunity to return for an African safari I know where my go-to place will be!
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