SOUTH AFRICA: 10 Days With JKO HUNTING SAFARIS

FL Will

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I would like to thank AH for this platform and everyone that has shared their knowledge and experiences. It has been an invaluable tool in assisting my wife and I on our first but not our last safari. Like many others I have always wanted to go on a safari but was not sure who, when and where to go. In January of this year we went to the SCI convention in Las Vegas hoping to answer all of these questions and find our first safari. That was not the case. After leaving SCI I felt overwhelmed with options and sales pitches as to why we should hunt with them and not others. Luckily I discovery AH and spent countless hours reading posts and reviews. This helped us decide when (September) and where (South Africa) but left the who we would be hunting with. Here on AH two operators keep coming up over and over. That was @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS and @KMG Hunting Safaris. I reached out to both KMG and JKO and both companies promptly responsed and answered my newbie questions with patience and professionalism. What made us choose JKO over KMG was the concession size, area and assurance we would see exceptional Kudu and Sable. Both these animals were high up on our trophy list of 16 animals. Jacques at JKO exceeded all our expectations!

We flew Delta from Orlando to Atlanta and Atlanta to Johannesburg. The team @riflepermits.com made the rifle import process smooth and efficient. They even walked across the street to our hotel. We stayed at the Intercontinental at OR Tambo and was picked up by Jacques the following morning. The food and accommodations at the Intercontinental was top notch.

Day1
Day 1 started off a little slow with a couple of busted stalks and unusually high winds. However, after lunch we spotted a group of zebras and spent the next two hours tracking them on foot for over 2 miles until I was able to get a shot at 80 yards with my 300 win mag. While Jacques and I were tracking the zebras my wife and PH Dewyk Vorster found this nice 51” kudu and warthog. With her custom pink 300 Win Mag she made two great shots at 160 yards and we hard out first three African trophies in the salt.
41AF31DA-EA55-4A4B-A6E1-B6F52A90A235.jpeg


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Day 2
We started off the morning looking for a buffalo for my wife. It was amazing to watch Jacques, Dewyk and the tracker decipher the tracks from the evening before. After locating the area we knew the bull was in we made our stalk only to have the bull double back and give us the slip. With one blown stalk we headed back for lunch. On the way back we spotted a heard of Gemsbuck and I was able to take the 37” bull at 250 yards. The Barnes 180 grain ttsx bullets performed amazing on the 19 trophies we took.
61847209-2384-478B-9E09-45C853AF8276.jpeg
After another amazing brunch we went out to see what the bush would provide. It was not long and Dewyk spotted a 47” sable feeding along the Setlagole River. After a quite stalk and a 126 yard shot I had this proper sable.
C762FA9E-6804-40DC-8871-4B0635C903CA.jpeg

The skinning crew picked up the sable and we were off to once again look for buffalo. Just 45 minutes before the sun went down we found a large heard of buffalo. My wife was able to make a perfect front shot using Jacques 375 H&H. The first picture is a still frame from the video I took showing the bullet right before impact. We knew we had a special bull when Jacques told my wife “you shot a hell of a buffalo bull mama you do not know what you have just done. He is old and big”. After a follow up stalk with four more well placed shots, my wife had her first buffalo on the ground measuring 44 7/8”.
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More to come.
 

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Congrats, very good animals so far :D Cheers:
 
Looks and sounds like a wonderful trip. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more.
 
I would like to thank AH for this platform and everyone that has shared their knowledge and experiences. It has been an invaluable tool in assisting my wife and I on our first but not our last safari. Like many others I have always wanted to go on a safari but was not sure who, when and where to go. In January of this year we went to the SCI convention in Las Vegas hoping to answer all of these questions and find our first safari. That was not the case. After leaving SCI I felt overwhelmed with options and sales pitches as to why we should hunt with them and not others. Luckily I discovery AH and spent countless hours reading posts and reviews. This helped us decide when (September) and where (South Africa) but left the who we would be hunting with. Here on AH two operators keep coming up over and over. That was @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS and @KMG Hunting Safaris. I reached out to both KMG and JKO and both companies promptly responsed and answered my newbie questions with patience and professionalism. What made us choose JKO over KMG was the concession size, area and assurance we would see exceptional Kudu and Sable. Both these animals were high up on our trophy list of 16 animals. Jacques at JKO exceeded all our expectations!

We flew Delta from Orlando to Atlanta and Atlanta to Johannesburg. The team @riflepermits.com made the rifle import process smooth and efficient. They even walked across the street to our hotel. We stayed at the Intercontinental at OR Tambo and was picked up by Jacques the following morning. The food and accommodations at the Intercontinental was top notch.

Day1
Day 1 started off a little slow with a couple of busted stalks and unusually high winds. However, after lunch we spotted a group of zebras and spent the next two hours tracking them on foot for over 2 miles until I was able to get a shot at 80 yards with my 300 win mag. While Jacques and I were tracking the zebras my wife and PH Dewyk Vorster found this nice 51” kudu and warthog. With her custom pink 300 Win Mag she made two great shots at 160 yards and we hard out first three African trophies in the salt.
View attachment 502020

View attachment 502021
Day 2
We started off the morning looking for a buffalo for my wife. It was amazing to watch Jacques, Dewyk and the tracker decipher the tracks from the evening before. After locating the area we knew the bull was in we made our stalk only to have the bull double back and give us the slip. With one blown stalk we headed back for lunch. On the way back we spotted a heard of Gemsbuck and I was able to take the 37” bull at 250 yards. The Barnes 180 grain ttsx bullets performed amazing on the 19 trophies we took.
View attachment 502022After another amazing brunch we went out to see what the bush would provide. It was not long and Dewyk spotted a 47” sable feeding along the Setlagole River. After a quite stalk and a 126 yard shot I had this proper sable.
View attachment 502024
The skinning crew picked up the sable and we were off to once again look for buffalo. Just 45 minutes before the sun went down we found a large heard of buffalo. My wife was able to make a perfect front shot using Jacques 375 H&H. The first picture is a still frame from the video I took showing the bullet right before impact. We knew we had a special bull when Jacques told my wife “you shot a hell of a buffalo bull mama you do not know what you have just done. He is old and big”. After a follow up stalk with four more well placed shots, my wife had her first buffalo on the ground measuring 44 7/8”.
View attachment 502026
View attachment 502028

View attachment 502029
View attachment 502030


View attachment 502075

More to come.
Exceptional animals! Congratulations!
 
Awesome trophies. Great job!
 
Just....wow!
 
Amazing Buff! I love how the rifle fits between the tips with room to spare! Always a good sign!
 
Great start to your report Will, looking forward to more! It would seem we met your expectations and that makes me even happier.
 
Great report and glad you had a great safari, Jacques is a great guy.
IMO KMG is top notch also very little if any to choose between the two companies.
Marius definitely knows his stuff.

Once again good report and glad you had a great experience, for the East cape portion contact Marius!!
My best always.
Jaco.
 
What an awesome start to your safari. Those are great animals. Thanks for sharing with us, certainly looking forward to the rest of the story.
 
The sable and Buffalo are super nice. look forward to the rest of your adventure.
 
Can’t go wrong with either JKO or KMG. Waiting for the rest
 
Day 3
After a few to many brandy and cokes from the JKO buffalo party the night before we slept in and got a later start. My wife and Jacques spotted a group of red hartebeest grazing on a lush green area of regrowth from a recent fire that burned part of the concession. After bumping the group several times the hour stalk ended with a 120 yard shot.
586AC828-AA0B-43FF-9778-EF6FD1EBA787.jpeg

Day 4
We headed out very early in the morning looking for a very old giraffe that was past his prime. He had been pushed out of the breeding groups by younger bulls and was solitary. One well placed shot with the 375 H&H at 80 yards and the work began. What an amazing animal! Even with the use of a pay loader and a tractor it was still a difficult process to get him loaded and off to the skinning shed. Of all the game meat my wife and I have eaten the giraffe is at the top of our list.


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With the giraffe at the skinning shed we set out looking to see what the bush would bring us next. We came across a group of zebra and blue wildebeest bedded down. We were able to stalk within 130 yards and it seemed like eternity until the group stood up. After a quick rejudging of the group to determine the largest bull I had my wildebeest. The 180 grain barnes ttsx performed outstanding again.

49892FBA-BB7F-415D-9507-11AACF303572.jpeg


With a springbuck slam on our list Jacques suggested we move concessions for couple of days. The leopards had taken a toll on the population at Red Sands. We packed a day bag and drove an hour and a half to another concession. After getting settled in and a quick lunch we set out looking for a springbuck which did not take long. My wife started off the slam with this nice black springbuck with a great 200 yard shot.

214D5E0B-5884-4DE3-8C45-DA89CD50BEAE.jpeg


Jacques and PH Ockert had been after a large red lechwe that had been giving them the slip for a while. You know you have a proper animal when you see the PH get excited and that was the case when Jacques spotted this lechwe. My wife and Jacques cut the distance down to 185 yards as the lechwe fed away for over five minutes. Once he gave her a slight quartering away shot she dropped him in his tracks.

92DCA923-05CE-425C-A47B-D46AE8233405.jpeg


more to come
 
Great start to your report Will, looking forward to more! It would seem we met your expectations and that makes me even happier.
Yes Phil JKO exceeded our expectations. Thank you for your help in the process and answering my numerous questions. Looking forward to meeting you at SCI.
 
Looks like yall had a heck of a trip. Congrats on all the trophies!
 
Looks like yall had a heck of a trip. Congrats on all the trophies!
Thanks for a good report. Both of you are great shots!! Your friend, Brian
 
Love that lechwe. Some great trophies. Congrats.
Bruce
 

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