Patton63
AH veteran
I had the opportunity to do my first African safari in 2016, with Roche Safaris. As happens with many people, the desire to do a second hunt immediately welled up and I began considering when to go back and the logistics for bringing my son with me. Due to some good luck and the graciousness of Roche DuPreez, the owner of Roche Safaris, I was able to schedule a hunt for my 14 year-old son and myself from June 14-23, 2017.
We traveled with rifles in tow to RSA on Ethiopian Air with no problems. The kind people at RiflePermits helped get the temporary import permits and, after meeting Roche at the airport, we were off to start our plains game hunt. My son had three animals high on his wish list - a Gemsbok, Kudu, and Black Wildebeest. Anything else, and anything I might, take would simply be gravy.
Roche's farm and home territory is in Mpumulanga Province, nestled in the mountains near Kruger and the Mozambique border. As a change of pace, though, we spent the first day hunting in North West Province. The hunt started out quickly, as we came upon a herd of Gemsbok shortly after sunrise. Upon seeing them, my son had a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye, as he began to get a taste of the excitement that a spot-and-stalk hunt can present. After making a couple different stalks, we finally were able to get into position for a roughly 200 yard shot.
Roche and my son spent time glassing the herd to see if the right bull was there. Ultimately, they found a beautiful bull and my son was able to take his first animal in Africa.
We then turned our attention to a Black Wildebeest. We saw several herds and ultimately came across a herd of all bulls. Again, Roche and my son stalked to within about 200 yards and found a great old bull. Roche talked him through the shot, made sure they were on the same animal, and with that, the wildebeest fell.
After hunting North West, we returned to Mpumulanga. The terrain is quite different, as we went from wide open fields to thick bush. Coming from the East Coast of the US, hunting in thick brush is familiar and comforting. Also, it presented a whole series of new challenges for a young hunter to experience and overcome. We spent a lot of time on the top of a small mountain glassing the property.
We would then climb down and explore the property from the back of a Land Cruiser or on foot. The goal at this point was a Kudu.
Eventually, after a lot of hard work, we came across a mature Kudu bull walking with two cows. We spotted it from the truck and, after determining it was a bull worth pursuing, Roche and my son slipped over the tailgate and off the back bumper as the truck kept going. I stayed on the truck to minimize the potential for being seen and, in doing so, was able to see the bull watching us - never having seen or noticed the fact that two hunters dropped to the ground as we were driving. For me, the tension of the moment grew, as I couldn't see or know what was happening. After about 20 minutes of waiting roughly 500 yards further down the road, I heard my son's .308 boom and could hear the bull crash. What a moment for him and for me, as I could not have been happier for him. It turns out that the bull was a monster.
We continued to hunt over the next couple days and I was fortunate to take a beautiful Springbok and Red Hartebeest. That was secondary, however, to watching the rest of the hunt unfold.
As was my experience in 2016, the hospitality Roche and his wife showed were spectacular. They bring you in to their family and make you feel welcome. As we sat around the fire one night, my son commented that he felt like he could be sitting in his back yard - that is exactly the type of informal, personal, and comfortable environment that we wanted on our trip. The food was spectacular and the accommodations superb. To break up the hunt, we spent a day sight-seeing in Kruger and spent an afternoon at a nearby preserve where you can interact with and ride elephants. What a great time - after spending time learning about the elephants and playing soccer with them, we were able to do a mini game drive riding on the back of one of them.
Thank you for indulging me in this report. As I am sure you can see, I was thrilled with the experience and am proud of everything my son experienced and accomplished while on his first trip. We are already planning a return visit.
We traveled with rifles in tow to RSA on Ethiopian Air with no problems. The kind people at RiflePermits helped get the temporary import permits and, after meeting Roche at the airport, we were off to start our plains game hunt. My son had three animals high on his wish list - a Gemsbok, Kudu, and Black Wildebeest. Anything else, and anything I might, take would simply be gravy.
Roche's farm and home territory is in Mpumulanga Province, nestled in the mountains near Kruger and the Mozambique border. As a change of pace, though, we spent the first day hunting in North West Province. The hunt started out quickly, as we came upon a herd of Gemsbok shortly after sunrise. Upon seeing them, my son had a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye, as he began to get a taste of the excitement that a spot-and-stalk hunt can present. After making a couple different stalks, we finally were able to get into position for a roughly 200 yard shot.
Roche and my son spent time glassing the herd to see if the right bull was there. Ultimately, they found a beautiful bull and my son was able to take his first animal in Africa.
We then turned our attention to a Black Wildebeest. We saw several herds and ultimately came across a herd of all bulls. Again, Roche and my son stalked to within about 200 yards and found a great old bull. Roche talked him through the shot, made sure they were on the same animal, and with that, the wildebeest fell.
After hunting North West, we returned to Mpumulanga. The terrain is quite different, as we went from wide open fields to thick bush. Coming from the East Coast of the US, hunting in thick brush is familiar and comforting. Also, it presented a whole series of new challenges for a young hunter to experience and overcome. We spent a lot of time on the top of a small mountain glassing the property.
We would then climb down and explore the property from the back of a Land Cruiser or on foot. The goal at this point was a Kudu.
Eventually, after a lot of hard work, we came across a mature Kudu bull walking with two cows. We spotted it from the truck and, after determining it was a bull worth pursuing, Roche and my son slipped over the tailgate and off the back bumper as the truck kept going. I stayed on the truck to minimize the potential for being seen and, in doing so, was able to see the bull watching us - never having seen or noticed the fact that two hunters dropped to the ground as we were driving. For me, the tension of the moment grew, as I couldn't see or know what was happening. After about 20 minutes of waiting roughly 500 yards further down the road, I heard my son's .308 boom and could hear the bull crash. What a moment for him and for me, as I could not have been happier for him. It turns out that the bull was a monster.
We continued to hunt over the next couple days and I was fortunate to take a beautiful Springbok and Red Hartebeest. That was secondary, however, to watching the rest of the hunt unfold.
As was my experience in 2016, the hospitality Roche and his wife showed were spectacular. They bring you in to their family and make you feel welcome. As we sat around the fire one night, my son commented that he felt like he could be sitting in his back yard - that is exactly the type of informal, personal, and comfortable environment that we wanted on our trip. The food was spectacular and the accommodations superb. To break up the hunt, we spent a day sight-seeing in Kruger and spent an afternoon at a nearby preserve where you can interact with and ride elephants. What a great time - after spending time learning about the elephants and playing soccer with them, we were able to do a mini game drive riding on the back of one of them.
Thank you for indulging me in this report. As I am sure you can see, I was thrilled with the experience and am proud of everything my son experienced and accomplished while on his first trip. We are already planning a return visit.
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