Free Range Mountain Hunting In Limpopo!

[BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS]

Good day AH,

We are very excited to offer this package/hunt to you all here on AH. We are going to allow only one of these packages to be booked for 2024. This hunt will take place in the Soutpansberg mountain range. We will be hunting 100% free range game with our focus being on hunting during the Kudu rut. There is the serious possibility of running into a monster up in the hills as we never know what we may find. In 2023 went to the mountains to scout with one of our good clients and friends who is also a member of AH to test out this hunt. In just 3 days we were able to hunt a Bushbuck, Genet, Red Duiker, Klipspringer, Kudu and a White tailed mongoose. It was an incredible experience and the hunter that enjoys an adventure hunt will absolutely love this. Unfortunately we did not sell this specific hunt in 2024. It is a privilege to be able to hunt in such a breathtaking area. Buddies are welcome to join on the hunt and we will do whatever variation of the package we can!

Please note the following with regards to the hunt:
*Accommodation is not fancy. It is a rustic camp/lodge, but comfortable.
*The cellular signal is very poor to zero at camp. It improves when hiking in the hills.
*This is a rifle hunt, no bow hunters unfortunately.
*You need to be fit for this hunt. If you cannot pack out an elk (not all at once of course!) we would not suggest doing this hunt.
*We recommend bringing your own gun that you are confident with out to a fair distance (200 to 400 yards)
*This hunt will need to take place between the 20th April and the 20th of May to hit the Kudu rut in the perfect window. We can look slightly left and right of that but those would be ideal to ensure good bull numbers are seen whilst hunting.

The hunt includes the following:

1x Red Duiker
1x Kudu
1x Bushbuck
1x Genet
1x Porcupine
1x White tailed mongoose
1x Bushpig
1x Baboon
1x Klipspringer
1x Grey Duiker
7 days/8 nights
$13,000 All inclusive

*Civet a high probability, Brown Hyena as well.
*Other animals can be added at additional cost.
*Other hunters/observers welcome at additional cost.

Package includes:
• Licensed Professional Hunter, a Tracker, Skinner and hunting vehicle.
• Accommodation on a full board basis, incl. non-alcoholic drinks and table beer/wine
• Transfer from and to Johannesburg international Airport.
• Transport between and on hunting Area A and Area B
• Laundry service (Except on Sundays).
• Field preparation of Trophies.

Package excludes:
• Flight from and to Johannesburg International Airport, and any national flights from one concession to the next.
• Hard tack (whiskey, brandy etc)
• Firearms and ammunition. (Rifle Hire available at request)
• Hotel accommodation before and after the hunt – if required.
• Taxidermy, packing, insurance, transport.
• Dipping and shipping of trophies.
• Personal expenses ex. Tips, Telephone, Souvenirs etc.
• Tourist Programmes

We hope to hear from you all!

Contact us at: hunt@baylysippelsafaris.co.za for more info
+27 719821685 - Dempsey Bayly (available on WhatsApp)
+27 833994593 - Michael Sippel (German speaking available on WhatsApp)

Keep up with us on our various social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaylySippelHuntingSafaris/
Instagram: bayly_sippel_safaris
YouTube: Bayly Sippel Hunting Safaris

Kind regards,
Dempsey Bayly & Michael Sippel

Bayly Sippel Safaris US person of contact Dustin Knutson - dustinknut@gmail.com / Robert Williamson - Northslopegrips@gmail.com
Bayly Sippel Safaris Australian person of contact David Berner - davidberner1983@hotmail.com
Bayly Sippel Safaris France person of contact Romain Berthouly - rberthouly@hotmail.com
Bayly Sippel Safaris German person of contact Jorn Spitz - r93lexus@gmail.com
Bayly Sippel Safaris Canadian person of contact Brandon Isaac -isaacbr@gmail.com / Dean Macdonald - dmaed45@hotmail.com

 

[revturbo9967]

Very cool hunt. If someone does not harvest some of the bag list, is the entire package price still paid?

 

[BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS]

Very cool hunt. If someone does not harvest some of the bag list, is the entire package price still paid?

Absolutely not sir! Anything not hunted will be taken off the package total and anything extra that is hunted will be added to it.

Kind regards,
Dempsey Bayly & Michael Sippel

 

[BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS]

THIS HUNT IS SOLD TO AN AH MEMBER - THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!

Kind regards,
Dempsey Bayly & Michael Sippel

 

[BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS]

SOLD OUT FOR 2025!!! Thank you for the support AH.

Kind regards,
Dempsey Bayly & Michael Sippel

 

[JeffUSMC]

Hello Everyone,
I booked and went on this hunt in late April and early May. I have been busy, and it has taken me longer than it should have to write my report on this hunt but here it is. I hunted once before with BaylySippel for Buffalo in 2023 with their PH Nic Junge and harvested a 46.5 inch monster. The hunt, their facilities and their service were all top notch. When I saw this hunt advertised, I knew I had to book it. I retired at 50 years old in 2021 and now I travel and hunt six to eight times per year. With all of this hunting I do, this hunt with "BS" was one of the best hunts in my entire life. A top three for sure. That says a lot because I hunt all over the world with many different outfitters for nearly every species.

When we all read these hunt reports people are always curious about the rifles and calibers used so I will address this now. This trip was a little challenging because of the wide variety and varying sizes of game pursued. I brought three rifles. I brought a Savage 17HMR with a 3X9 Nikon scope with a bull barrel; a Tikka T3 30.06 with a Nightforce 3.5X15 scope and a Seekins Precision in 6.5 PRC with a Huskemaw 5X30 scope with custom turrets out to 1200 yards shooting Hornady 147 gr Precision Hunter ammo.

I requested Nic Junge as my PH again for this hunt. He is possibly the best PH I have ever worked with. He picked me up from my hotel near the Jburg airport and we drove six hours north to our hunting area. A small and remote old farmstead in the Soutpansberg Mountains in the Limpopo District. When we arrived, we met Tyler who is a friend of Nic and grew up hunting on this property since he was a small child. The accommodations were comfortable but rustic. We had electricity and hot and cold water and all the basics, but it was not luxurious. The hot water was provided by boiling water in a 55 gallon drum over a wood fire. We arrived late in the afternoon, unpacked and settled in. Had dinner and then went out that night to hunt over one of the two bait stations that Nic and Tyler had set out in advance. Nic provided me with his 300 WM and a high-quality clip on thermal to use for our night hunts. We were in a cluster of rocks about 50 yards away up a hill. We were at the bait maybe 45 minutes when a bushpig sow came into the bait. Five minutes later a huge bushpig boar came in. I gave it a minute or two to settle in and then dropped it in its tracks with one well-placed shot.

Day two started like any typical hunting day. Up early, breakfast and then hiking into the mountains looking for Kudu and other species on our list. Almost immediately we spotted some Kudu cows and then a young bull but after a full day of hiking and glassing we headed back to camp empty handed. After dinner we went to the second bait station hoping to harvest some of the other species on my list. This bait station was set up with a blind about 15 yards from the bait. When we walked into the blind there were already Bushpigs at the bait and we scared them off. Within five minutes they were back. After giving them five minutes to settle in I shot another boar. Nic could not believe my luck. I was getting tired of shooting these things as I have shot countless hogs here in the States. At that time I did not understand how difficult it is to kill Bushpigs.

Day three started like normal. Tyler and Nic decided that we needed to really hike hard and far and do some serious climbing in search of a Kudu bull. We hiked for about two hours all uphill up a very steep rocky and overgrown mountain trail. We finally reached the top of this mountain and came to a huge plains area that Tyler called his "sweet spot". We climbed on top of a large rock outcropping that gave us a great view of the open area in front of us and started glassing. The mountain continued upward behind us and on our sides. At about 9AM or so Nic spotted a group of cows with a few calves' playing. This was during the rut, so we watched those cows for maybe 90 minutes waiting for the bull to show up but to no avail. I spent four years in the Marine Corps infantry and it was beat into us to watch our six o'clock for the enemy. To this day when I hunt I still always look behind me. While Nic and Tyler were looking forward, I was looking backward and off to our sides. At about 10:30 or so at or 7 O'clock I spotted a huge bull coming downhill and making a very slow approach towards the cows that Nic had spotted earlier. We got me setup prone on a rock and ranged the bull at 360 yards. I had my Tikka 30.06 shooting 200 gr Federal bullets. The Kudu was broadside and facing to the right. The first shot was maybe 3-4 inches high and maybe 3-4 inches too far right from perfect but on a Kudu it does not matter. There was probably a bit of wind. It was still in the vitals and he went down. I reloaded and waited. After maybe one minute he stood back up and I fired again. The second round struck him in almost the exact same spot and he was down for good.

I will continue the update in another follow up post soon. I am barely getting started.

 

[Hunt anything]

Nice pigs!

 

[Fatback]

Congrats on a fine start to your adventure. Looking forward to following along.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Am enjoying the hunt report so far. I was hunting in Limpopo about 80mi south of your location along the Waterberg Mtn Range both in 2024 and this year. I love that area.

Somebody please clue me in. I thought that the South African Gov't limited us hunters from bringing more than two rifles on any hunting visit? Is there any special requirement to bring in three?

I have been talking to my PH about coming back to hunt an Eland and possibly a Croc but would love to bring a little rimfire to take some of the smaller varmints in the region. Last year we went night hunting where I took a Duiker and a super nice Bushbuck that will likely make the SCI record book when all said and done. But, the smallest rifle I brought was a 308 and it tore a massive hole in my little Duiker. I would not use a rimfire for those two but, while roaming around after dark we saw tons of little critters like Steinbok, Civet cats, African Wildcats, Serval cats, Jackal, Monkeys and others.

 

[JeffUSMC]

Day four after the morning routine was Red Duiker hunting. I had never done this before, and it turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined. I used my Tikka 30.06 with FMJ ammo so as to just punch a hole in this small animal and not do too much damage. Red Duiker live in very thick, dense vegetation which is almost impenetrable to a human of my size. You have to crawl on your hands and knees into this dense vegetation in full camo gear, set up against a tree or bush and then try to call them in. It is similar to Turkey hunting but FAR more uncomfortable. As all of you Africa hunters know nearly every bush on that continent has thorns, so you get shredded on the way in and out of the set up. You call for about 10 minutes or so and if you see nothing you move a few hundred yards and try again. You just keep trying and trying. It's a numbers game. Sooner or later, you get lucky. With Red Duiker both sexes have horns, so you have to be sure not to shoot a female if you call it in. You and your PH have to work together closely. Anyway, we started calling at around 7AM and worked non-stop until finally at around noon we got one to come in. Nic checked it over and whispered "Shoot" and I fired. It was a good hit, but it took off running through all that thick vegetation. I was worried that we may not recover it due to the brush being so thick. Nic walked quite a way

back to our vehicle and got his tracking dog "Buck". Buck smelled around a bit and found that Duiker within 30 seconds.

We headed back to the farmhouse and rested until dinner. After dinner we drove maybe 60 minutes to a huge macadamia nut farm where we started night hunting with spotlights. Here I used my suppressed 17HMR. This rifle worked wonderfully for these small nocturnal species. Quiet, light and powerful enough to get the job done. I also brought my Tikka as we were also looking for Bushbuck. This time shooting smaller 168gr Federal bullets. We did a combination of driving and spot and stalk looking for nocturnal critters. Nic had a handheld thermal also to aid in spotting. Tyler and I were using only handheld lights. Pretty quickly Nic spotted a White-Tailed Mongoose and Nic and I were out on foot after it. Having never hunted one before, I did not realize how quick and slippery these things are. They never really seem to stop moving. I wound up taking a shot at it just as it took a quick turn and missed. Disheartening as it was the night had just started, and we kept on hunting. A short time later Tyler spotted a Genet. I quickly jumped off the truck and made a perfect shot off my shooting sticks, collected the animal and jumped back on the truck. Not 30 seconds later Tyler spotted another Genet, and I repeated another perfect shot. I now had two Genets in the bag. I had harvested a Genet on a previous trip to South Africa in 2024 and I love these animals. Something about them really excites me so I was extremely fired up now. Maybe 30 minutes later a giant Cane Rat ran across the road. I had no idea what it was a Nic yelled to shoot it, so I did. I had never seen one of these things and it was the size of a small dog. It was a perfect shot, but it took that 17 round like an insect bite and ran off into the grass never to be seen again. We all laughed. All this time we had been seeing dozens of Bushbucks, but they were either does or small rams and not at all what we were looking for as a trophy. Continuing on and maybe 30 more minutes we finally found a very nice, mature Bushbuck ram. We are now about two hours or so into the night. Nic and I got out of the truck and put on the stalk. After following it for maybe 5 minutes and through several rows of macadamia trees I finally got a clean broadside shot and made another perfect one shot kill. The ram ran about 50 yards and then fell over dead. Nic was able to follow it with his thermal, so we never lost sight of it. About 10 minutes later Nic spotted another Mongoose from the truck and the chase was on. We got out of the truck and chased it on foot for probably five minutes until it finally stopped running around and gave me a shot. I got it this time. These animals let out a loud "squeal like" sound when they get shot. It is a very unique sound that I have not heard before and one that you will not forget once you hear it. I am going to go out of sequence and say that at the very end of the night I got a second Mongoose. It was the last animal of the night, and it again made that unique "squeal".

Now for a really cool and weird story from the trip. Everyone has certain species that really excite them more than others. I really love these nocturnal species much more than your run of the mill plains game species. On my priority list was Genet, Civet, Honey Badger and Jackal. After I shot the Mongoose, we continued driving and searching. Nic soon told me that he saw another Mongoose with his thermal, so we jumped out of the truck and pursued it on foot. It took off running very quickly and ran through row after row of macadamia trees. After several minutes Nic said he had found it, set up the sticks and got me on the shot. I was ready. I turned on the light attached to my rifle, looked through the scope and saw a huge Civet, not a Mongoose. So, I shot it. It took off running. The area we were in was an agricultural area with nut trees and no undergrowth. Just row after row of nut trees. We searched for an hour for that Civet and never found it. I was 95% certain that I made a perfect broadside lung shot but Nic thought that maybe I missed. We never found it that night and went back to our camp without it. I was a bit heart broken. Our camp was deep in the mountains deep in a valley with no cell service. The next day when we climbed up into the mountain for our daily hunt and Nic got service he had a message from the owner of the Macadamia farm. The farm workers had found my Civet when the sun came up. They said that it was so large they were unsure it was actually a Civet at first and that Nic should come get it. After that day's hunting was over Nic drove to the farm and retrieved the Civet. It was in fact the largest Civet that anyone had ever seen or even heard of. Photos of it were being sent to and from friends and family and everyone was in shock by its size. I may have shot a world record Civet.

We were making good progress on our species list and slowly what was left to hunt was becoming smaller. I had requested and Bayly Sippel had obtained a Honey Badger permit for me. We were checking our bait cameras every day but no Badgers were showing up at our baits. We got a Leopard on one of the cameras one night, lots of pigs, a of couple Civets very early in the morning and some porcupines.

Now it was time to hunt dedicated for Klipspringer. We had been scouting for them the entire trip and had been hunting for them half-heartedly, but they were elusive, and we had really only seen one shootable ram. He ducked into cover anytime he saw us coming from way off and was not going to give me a shot. My Seekins in 6.5PRC with the Huskemaw scope is highly accurate at any range even on a target this small so this is the rifle I used for this species. We again set out on foot right at first light and started hiking straight up into the mountains. This time we went to a new area where we had not previously been, and Tyler said was prime Klipi territory. We put some serious miles on this day and gained and lost a lot of elevation. At around maybe 11AM we heard a Klipi calling and Nic spotted it maybe 50 yards away just over our left shoulders above us high up on a rock with a ewe and a baby. Nic set up the sticks and I took a very rushed shot and missed. I still don't know why or how but it happens to all of us sometimes. They scattered and even though we waited we never saw the ram again. I felt horrible about missing after Nic and Tyler did all that work to find the ram and get me a shot. They were both such good sports they just said, "No worries, we will just find another one" and we kept hiking and climbing. After about another 90 minutes we hiked into a very steep and remote valley, and we immediately saw 2-3 Klipi's between 200-400 yards sitting high up on rock outcroppings surveying their domain. As we stalked in all but one disappeared. That one however, stayed exposed on a rock high above us at a fairly steep angle and 220 yards away. I laid prone and used my pack and a large rock to steady the rifle. I really had trouble getting stable and took at least a minute or more to take the shot. I was very worried the animal would move away but I knew I had to get the shot right this time. Finally, I got all the fundamentals right and slowly squeezed off the round. The bullet hit about two inches low, but it didn't matter. The shot was close enough to perfect and the Klipi went down instantly. We then had to hike miles back to camp and called it a day. We all needed some rest. The only thing left on my list that I really cared about was the Honey Badger but they were not coming to any of our baits.

I got this Vervet Monkey in an avocado tree in the backyard of the camp with my 17

. I think everyone that hunts in Africa likes shooting these things.

After getting back to camp and resting a bit we had dinner and discussed how best to go about tackling the Honey Badger issue. I REALLY wanted a Badger and we were not seeing any. At this point I had harvested everything that was important to me in this Soutpansberg area that was possible. Nic suggested that we pack up in the morning and move to another location that he knew of that had a huge gut pile, a blind and in his opinion a high chance of seeing Badger and Jackal. I agreed so the next morning Tyler went home and Nic and I moved. The first night at the new lodge we sat in the blind for quite a few hours. We saw two Jackal at about 150 yards through the thermal, but they never stopped moving and I never got a shot. No Badgers came in or were seen at all. We did not do any hunting during the next day but when the sun went down, we went back into the blind. I have done MANY, MANY nighttime thermal hunts out of blinds and while rewarding they are boring and can be grueling. We brought chairs, blankets, food and drinks and settled in for a long night prepared to sit all night if needed. I was blown away when after only 30 minutes Nic tapped me on the knee, which was our signal for ( Badger at the Bait ). I put my eye to the thermal scope on the rifle and saw a huge Honey Badger moving around at the bait working its way through our gut and bone pile. I settled my breathing and remembered the 2lb trigger pull on the rifle. The Badger went broadside and stopped moving to eat and I fired. I saw it go straight down without moving. Nic whispered in my ear in a slightly panicked voice that I missed and it had run off to our right. He was unsure if I had hit it and if it was wounded. I replied that " No way I missed. I was 100% sure that I had hit it perfectly ". We sat for a about five minutes looking through the thermal seeing no heat signature where a dead Badger should be and nothing in the direction he saw it run off in. Finally, I said to Nic that we have to walk out to the bait and see what is going on and he agreed. We turned on our lights walked the 25 yards to the bait and there lay a huge, dead Honey Badger. Without either of us seeing it, two Badgers had come in together. When I shot the big male, the female had run off. The male fell dead behind a large pile of bones and guts so that was blocking the heat signature, and we could not see it until we walked up to it. I literally started jumping up and down and high fiving Nic. We were both elated. He later weighed it and it was 32lbs which by all accounts is quite large. What struck me was just how beautiful and cool this animal was. It was everything I had hoped for. An exciting culmination of the entire trip.

As soon as I saw this hunt advertised here on AH.com I knew that this one was for me. I was in South Africa in 2023 with Bayly Sippel for Buffalo and in 2024 with Frontier Safaris with my ten-year-old son on a multi species hunt for ten days. I was not planning on going back again so soon but I sure am glad I did. Bayly Sippel is one of the best, most professional outfitters that I have ever hunted with. They provide good accommodations, their cooks and food are excellent, their service overall is top notch but most of all their PH Nic Junge is probably the best I have ever had anywhere in the world. I have already booked their Mountain Man hunt for myself and my son for 2026 and if they still offer this exact same hunt in five or six years I will go back and do it again with my son so he can experience it the way I did.

 

[JeffUSMC]

Am enjoying the hunt report so far. I was hunting in Limpopo about 80mi south of your location along the Waterberg Mtn Range both in 2024 and this year. I love that area.

Somebody please clue me in. I thought that the South African Gov't limited us hunters from bringing more than two rifles on any hunting visit? Is there any special requirement to bring in three?

I have been talking to my PH about coming back to hunt an Eland and possibly a Croc but would love to bring a little rimfire to take some of the smaller varmints in the region. Last year we went night hunting where I took a Duiker and a super nice Bushbuck that will likely make the SCI record book when all said and done. But, the smallest rifle I brought was a 308 and it tore a massive hole in my little Duiker. I would not use a rimfire for those two but, while roaming around after dark we saw tons of little critters like Steinbok, Civet cats, African Wildcats, Serval cats, Jackal, Monkeys and others.

I had no problem bringing in three rifles. I did not need to do anything special for three. I had Afton Safari Lodge handle my rifle permits ahead of time and they just put all three rifles and my suppressor on the application. No issue at all. Once I removed the bolts they all fit in my Pelican case no problem so I even got away with just one rifle case. Because we have to pack the ammo in with our clothing checked bag and because I had three calibers, I went overweight, and Delta charged me an overweight fee on the way there. I shot enough rounds that I was ok coming home.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I had no problem bringing in three rifles. I did not need to do anything special for three. I had Afton Safari Lodge handle my rifle permits ahead of time and they just put all three rifles and my suppressor on the application. No issue at all. Once I removed the bolts they all fit in my Pelican case no problem so I even got away with just one rifle case. Because we have to pack the ammo in with our clothing checked bag and because I had three calibers, I went overweight, and Delta charged me an overweight fee on the way there. I shot enough rounds that I was ok coming home.

Thanks for the added detail about the 3guns. I will look into that more on my next trip. Great hunt report. I am super happy for you.

 

[ftrovato]

Very nice! Congrats!!

In my experience Bayly Sippel Safaris are top notch.