SOUTH AFRICA: First Hunt In Africa With KMG Hunting Safaris

Well, we completed our hunt with KMG Safaris, from 23 June to 5 July 2019. Let me say this right now - it was fabulous!! We are in Capetown right now, just finishing the vacation part of our trip, and I will be writing the rest of this report after we get home on 16 July. If anyone has been on the fence about booking with Marius Goosen, just book with him and go hunting, you will not regret it.

 

LR.....................we will be waiting for your report.....................happy that you had a good hunt.............FWB

 

Enjoy your tour. Hope it’s as good as your hunt. I await the hunt report.

 

I know first hand about KMG Safaris and Mr. Goosen. As I’ve said many times before he is the only person I’ll hunt with on the Eastern Cape. Looking forward to your report.

 

Sounds exciting! Looking forward to the report

 

You really cant go wrong with Marius and KMG. Looking forward to the hunt report!

 

Everybody who was and will be client of Marius and his team ---fortunate holder of hunting lottery. Looking forward to the report.

 

Haven't seen you in a while Rod..

 

Army has kept me a little busier than normal .... hopefully we are back to normal for the time being

 

I can second this !!!!

 

That’s a third for hunting Marius and KMG.

 

Looking forward to a report. I'm back there in a fortnight

 

Looking forward to your report.

 

Okay, not sure how to add to my original post except by going this route, so here we go. Around May of 2017, I booked a hunt with KMG Safaris for my wife and I. It was the two for one daily rate deal, and the animals of our choice. After a bit of date massaging with Marius, we decided on an arrival date of 23 June 2019, with departure set for 6 July on a short vacation to Capetown, SA. At the time, we had decided on 10 days of hunting, a 1 day game drive, and 1 day for off-shore fishing. This ended up changing later on.
So, some of the details:
Type of hunt: Plains game
Method: Rifle
I used a semi-custom Remington 700, chambered in 338-06. I was shooting 210 grain Nosler partitions on top of 58 grains of Ramshot Big Game, in Weatherby brass with CCI 200 primers. It will do sub-MOA, as long as I do my part. I have a Leupold VX-2, 3-9x40 LR Duplex on it. I had no issues with it at all.
My wife used a Savage Lady Hunter Model 111, in 30-06. I put the same scope on her rifle as is on mine. She was shooting Barnes Vortex factory ammo, with the 150 grain TTSX. her rifle loves this ammo, and she can put three round groups into an inch with it.
We practiced quite a bit using a Bogpod tripod, however I felt we could have benefitted from even more practice. The PH had basically the same unit, so that was good.
The Outfitter needs no introduction...Marius has become known to run a very good hunt, and this was no exception. Our PH was Martin Neuper (pronounced NI-PER), and he was awesome. Really friendly guy, extremely knowledgeable, and always ready to answer any questions about anything pertaining to our hunt. We had two different trackers over the course of the hunt, but Tandy was Martin's main guy.
Our main base of operation was Outspan Lodge, owned by Andrew and Debbie Brill. A lot (most, all...?) of the administrative details are looked after by their daughter Laura. Folks, you will not meet a nicer bunch of people than these...our every need was looked after, every day, without fail. We almost invariably ended up eating supper all together, every evening, and it was just like a family supper. We would all gather around the fireplace afterwards for a couple of drinks and conversation about the days activities, and whatever else came to mind. We hunted on their property, as well as a few others in the local area, and one that entailed a few nights away...more on that one later.
Species hunted: From time of booking to actual hunting, our wish list changed a bit. In the end, we ended up taking the following animals - Gord: Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Warthog and two Black-backed Jackals.
Dena: Zebra, Kudu, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Impala.
All of our animals were completely mature, older specimens, and we couldn't be happier with them. We saw many, many more animals of all kinds...these properties should have no issues providing quality animals to hunt for years to come.
The lodge was more than comfortable...rooms were clean and well-furnished, and the main lodge is awesome, with lots of mounted African game animals to look at.
We didn't take part in any other activities, although we had planned for them. We kept on hunting, and, on top of that, Dena ended up with African tick bite fever, so that entailed a trip to the Doctor in East London. We travelled about in Martin's Landcruiser, which was more than comfortable enough.
So, enough of the pre-amble, on to the day by day story:

20 June - flew to Calgary from Edmonton, met friends for supper.
21 June - leisurely breakfast, go to the airport early to check in, and....we get the new AC agent to check in our firearms. Good thing we went early, it took a while. Made sure our bags were checked all the way through to J'burg, then made our way through security and had lunch. Boarded the plane for a 1705 departure to Frankfurt, Germany. Flight was okay, managed some sleep....screaming babies don't help with sleep, just so you know.
22 June - arrive Frankfurt...busy place. Check to make sure bags and firearms are in fact checked all the way through (never saw them in F'furt) we go to the dayroom I had booked....bed, sink, shower,toilet in an 8x12 room...perfect. Grab 3 hours of sleep, shower and shave, check out, go to lunch...schnitzel and a beer!! Do a bit of looking around in the various shops and walk down to our gate, just hang about until a 2045 departure for J'burg, SA. Flight was operated by SAA, and it was okay....things were not as well-kept as other planes that I have been on...seemed a bit well-worn? Anyway, I was ready to get off this plane by the time we landed...I was finding it tough to sit still. What a busy place!! We came down the escalator, and saw three lines for Passport Control. We picked the middle one, which ended up being the correct one. I was starting to become concerned about having enough time to meet our connecting flight, but things moved along. Figured out where to find our bags and firearms, which were already collected and waiting for us by two very nice airport workers...we grabbed our bags and the rifle cases went through the SAPS office, we walked through the door and found the Riflepermits rep, I believe it was Adel (?). In any case, she assisted us with collecting our guns, and then with finding our new gate and re-checking our bags and guns onto the connecting flight to east London. I don't know if we would have made it on time, if not for her assistance. I would use their services again. We got through and grabbed a cup of coffee, with about 20 minutes before boarding...close, in my mind.
Another 1 1/2 hour flight to East London, where we are met by Nick Neuper, our PH's brother. He helps us collect our guns and bags, serial numbers and permits are checked, and we're off to Outspan Lodge!! What a gorgeous place!! Marius happens to be there when we arrive, as he is guiding one of the Forum members, Drillbit. He's having a great hunt, with a number of quality animals in the salt.
We talk with Marius for a few minutes before he and Drillbit leave for the afternoon hunt, and we meet Andrew and Laura. We get settled in, and Martin comes in. Introductions over, we head over to the range to check the guns...I have to admit, I was a bit jittery....I was on the other side of the fence now, lol. Anyway, everything checked out fine for both Dena and I. Then it was snacks, drinks, supper, a bit of cricket on TV, and off to bed around 2130.
24 June - Woke up at 0300...lol. Stayed in bed until 0500, then had to get up. I was first into the lodge, so I turned on the coffee...I don't do it on purpose, it's just how I am.... once awake, I can't lie in bed. I made a few journal notes while the staff came in, chatted with Marius for a bit...he and Drillbit were on their last hunting day. Martin comes in, we have breakfast, and then we're off, on our first hunting day in Africa. It was a bit chilly in the shade, so we watched the hillsides where the sun was starting to warm things up. We spotted a few Warthogs, then moved on. It's very hilly country, with thick brush and small openings. We spotted some Nyala females, and then a nice bull...he was a bit young, Martin thought. We did se a nice Blue Wildebeest bull, but he was over 350 yards away, and moving...we passed on him for now, making a mental note of the area he was in. Kept glassing, saw Impala, more Nyala, Kudu cows and a couple more Warthogs. We then used the bakkie to jump across the valley...saw a bunch more Impala, with a very nice ram...I elected not to shoot, as my priorities had shifted a bit...the Nyala in the lodge had gotten to me. We moved up to a clearing on foot, looked over a bunch of Warthogs, and looked for the Wildebeest we had seen earlier. The wind had shifted somewhat, and he was nowhere to be found. At that point, Dena decided that the Impala ram seen earlier interested her, so we went back to see if we could find him...no luck. He and his girls had moved off into some really rough country, so we elected not to try him at that point. The morning is starting to get on, so we moved to a different part of the property....as we traversed a large, grassy area, a Blesbok ram and two Zebras pop out of a bush. Dena lets out a huge gasp...."Ohhh", she says, lol. We keep going so as to get the wind right, and bail out while the tracker keeps going a short distance with the bakkie. Martin leads Dena back to an opening and gets her set up on the sticks...."The one on the right", he says. BOOM - SMACK!! He was quartering to us, so she hit him right on the point of the shoulder, and right through the vitals. He stayed up a lot longer than I thought he would - what a tough animal. Once down, he expired fairly quickly, and we walked over to him...What a beauty!! He's mature, but without being beat up, no scars, the hide is perfect. He is destined to be a rug, and Dena is ecstatic. There are hugs, handshakes and high fives all around....pictures, then we load him into the bakkie. They are a very solid animal, but we got it done, and it's off to the skinning shed. Time for lunch and a snooze before the afternoon hunt.

We head out again around 2:30, with bushbuck on the menu. We're on a different concession this time, which is a working cattle ranch, and low-fenced. We see numerous Impala, and a really nice Ram, which Dena tries to get on....but he gives her the slip. I sense an Impala vendetta beginning, lol. We glass from a few different locations overlooking thick areas near waterholes. We see a few bushbuck ewes, Impala, Blesbok, kudu.....Bushbuck ram!! Martin and I start to move down into a shooting position, but as we get closer, some Kudu spook and take the Bushbuck with them. Martin and I both say some nasty things and go back to the bakkie. We move around to another vantage point to glass, and martin sees a nice ram. We sneak down the hill, and I get set up on the short sticks in a sitting position..."200, Martin says. I'll stop him when he clears that brush". Martin hoots, the Bushbuck stops, and the crosshairs steady on his shoulder....BOOM-SMACK! We all walk down to the area where he was...the grass is really thick, and tall...he's found in in short order, and he's a beauty! My first African animal - a gorgeous Bushbuck. Handshakes, photos and back to the lodge. Sailed with the Captain a bit that night, and then off to bed.

25 June - Today we're off to a different concession. It's huge, very hilly, lots of thick brush, and some gently rolling land, too. We were looking for Kudu, Nyala, Warthog and Impala. We saw them all, as well as Blesbok (common and white), Blue Wildebeest and an absolutely beautiful Bushbuck. We used the various trails to get to vantage points to glass. martin's eyes are amazing...he spots animals effortlessly. He sees a Kudu bull, and we try to make a play on him, but he moves off into some heavy brush. As we're moving to another vantage point, the tracker talks to Martin through the window..."Nyala"...we keep going until we're well out of sight, then Martin and I sneak back. we get into position, I get on the sticks and martin gets me onto the bull..."160", he says....The Nyala is in some brush, but there's a window...I get on him, take a couple of breaths and squeeze the trigger...BOOM-SMACK! The sound of the hit from the 210 Partition out of my 338-06 comes floating back to us....I reload while Martin watches intently through his binos…"He's down", he says, with a grin and a handshake. I turn around and there's Dena behind me..."I made a short video", she says, with a smile and a kiss for me. We take the bakkie down to the area of the Nyala, and start to look for him. Martin finds him, and I climb down to him...what a gorgeous animal! He has some wear on his horns, and the facial markings and body striping are beautiful. He has quite a scar on the back of his neck from a battle during the rut - a true, old warrior. We got him onto Martin's dragging tarp and slid him down the mountainside, and into the bakkie. Pictures had to be done in another location as it was pretty steep where we were. Photos done, we take him to the skinning shed, where I have him skinned for a half-mount.

As it turned out, I hit him at the junction of the neck and shoulder (he was quartering to me slightly). The bullet broke his neck and was found under the hide just behind the off shoulder. It demonstrated perfect Nosler Partition performance.
We come back to the lodge and get some lunch - it's a bit late, so we go back out at 3 o'clock. We make a brief stop at the kill site of Dena's Zebra, as my reading glasses had gone AWOL...Dena comes up with them, and they're undamaged. Lucky. We go back out on the main property, and run right into a Kudu bull. he moves off into the brush, and we slip in behind him to see if Dena can get a shot. As we sneak along, we run right into a herd of Wildebeest, at about 20 yards...it's really tight quarters, and it's tough to pick out a good bull. all of a sudden, one of the cows spots us, and she goes on alert. Next thing we know, there's a stampede and off they go! We keep moving along, glassing, moving, glassing....the tracker brings the bakkie up, and we move down to the area where we had seen the Wildebeest bull earlier in the week...we find a decent bull, but its starting to mist, and then a light rain starts. Visibility is poor, so we back out...darkness starts to fall, so it's back to the lodge for appetizers, drinks and supper.
June 26
The morning brings a fresh, cool smell with it, as it rained all night. There is water lying everywhere as I walk into the lodge from our room. I start the coffee, and make my journal entry. Martin comes in and we have a light breakfast, and we both look out at the fog..."We'll wait a few minutes this morning", he says. The rest of the staff come in and we chat for a bit about the day to come..."Impala, Kudu and Warthog today", Martin says. We head over to the concession where I got my bushbuck, to see if we can find the Impala that gave Dena the slip. The mist is starting to lift as we enter the concession, and we move to a vantage point to glass. We're looking for a bachelor group of rams and we manage to find them....and he's there. Martin and Dena move ahead, while I follow them, keeping low as I do. He gets her set up on the sticks, and is whispering instructions to her as I watch. She takes the safety off and gets ready...BOOM - SMACK! The whole bunch run down the hill to our right...Martin says he thinks she hit him a bit far back, so he calls for the tracker to bring up the bakkie, and he gets Rocky out. Rocky is a Wire-haired terrier/Fox terrier mix....he's a fearless trailer, and has a nose like you wouldn't believe. The tracker brings Rocky up to the trail where Martin thinks the Impala has gone, and the dog is off like a shot! Within seconds, he's standing on the ram. Dena's face lights up as we walk up to her Impala. He's a beauty, with nice, lyre-shaped horns, long sharp tips that are even with each other. He's about 22 1/2", a really nice ram. Photos are done, including Rocky, of course, lol.

We drop off the tracker at the concession skinning shed, and continue looking for Kudu. They are being elusive, as always...they wouldn't be Kudu, otherwise. We pick up the tracker, and the Impala head/cape, and head back to Outspan for lunch. We continue the search for Kudu until supper time, only seeing a few Warthogs, more Impala, and an Nyala bull.
27 June
The plan is to hunt the main property this morning, looking for the Wildebeest bull that we saw the other night. We find him in the same area as before, with another bull....it appears these are two older bulls that have been pushed out of the herd. Martin looks them over, and he finds the older bull....he's 407 yards. Martin sends the tracker back to the truck for his rifle, a Tikka T3 in 300 WSM. I have no issues with a longer shot...years of training on my Regimental Rifle team, and constant practice have kept me in shooting shape. He puts the correct elevation on the scope, and we talk about the wind...it's dead calm. I get set up, and make my hold right on the crease on the back of the left shoulder. I go into my breathing routine, and then let the crosshairs settle....BOOM - SMACK. The bull rears up, then runs uphill. "Good shot, you got him good", Martin says. As we talk about the shot, he says there's an 80% chance we're going to find him still alive, and he asks if I'm comfortable with moving shots..."No problem", I say. We move around to the other side of the valley, and Martin and the tracker find the blood and tracks...Rocky is put on the trail, and off he goes!! Within a minute, we hear Rocky barking...we run uphill to a small clearing, and almost immediately see the Wildebeest walking from right to left, with Rocky on his heels. I wait for him to clear a bush, and shoot him right behind the shoulder...BOOM - SMACK!! He's hurt bad, but still up...he turns, and walks back the way he came. Martin gives me his shoulder, says "Watch out for Rocky, please"and I reply that I can see him... as soon as the bull clears a bush, I shoot him right where the neck joins the shoulder and down he goes. "Good shooting", Martin says, shaking my hand. We move around to where the bull is down, only to find that he was walking on the trail. He was hurt too bad to get off into rougher country. We take him to the skinning shed, drop him and the tracker off, and go looking for Warthogs until lunchtime.

We go looking for Kudu all afternoon, but only find young bulls. Back to Outspan for supper.
28 June
This is road trip day. We go to Imvani Game Lodge, about a two hour drive away. It's at a higher elevation, and much more arid. They have some small (?) mountains up to about 5000 feet in elevation. We drop off our things in our rooms, and head off into the bush. We spot some Hartebeest in the Acacia thornbush, but they move off. We see some Mountain Reedbuck, Kudu cows, zebra and some warthogs. Tandy, the tracker, goes back for the bakkie while we continue to glass. We move up higher and Martin finds some Gemsbok...they really like the hills. We work around the end of a ridge in order to keep the wind in our favour...Dena is on deck for a Gemsbok, so she and Martin move ahead. Tandy and I follow up, watching our flanks for game movement. Martin and Dena are watching a herd of Gemsbok that are bedded down, waiting for them to stand up so she can get a shot at the bull. I see some Gemsbok further up the ridge behind us, and I let Martin know about it...he puts that away for future reference. We're there for some time, when all of a sudden, I can feel the wind start to change....Martin and I look at each other, look at the Gemsbok, and then it happens....they have our wind and they get up like sprinters coming out of the starting blocks. There's no looking, no milling around, they just go, and fast! No chance for Dena to shoot. So, Martin takes us around the mountainside, and up again. We heading for the top to check on that other group. As I crest the ridge top, I see Dena on the sticks....I stop and kneel, waiting for the shot...BOOM - SMACK! I run up to them as she fires again...no hit. She reloads and fires again...hit. The Gemsbok bull spun around and lay down up against a large rock...we talk over the shot, and walk over in about 10 minutes. This bull is gorgeous!! His horns are just slightly asymmetrical, very heavy bases and he's about 34" on the long side. Martin estimates him at about 11-12 years old, and as it turns out, is at the highest elevation that a Gemsbok has ever been killed at on this property. Martin calls the Lodge owner to ask for some recovery assistance, and we start to make our way down to the trail. Tandy meets the helpers and takes them back up to start bringing the bull down. We get back to a very nice reception, and visit with the owner Gary, and his family before supper. We have a few drinks and then turn in as we have an early day.

29 June
Up at 0600 to a chilly morning, breakfast and...a flat tire. Turns out it just needed a new plug...got it done, aired up, off we go. We move to a high vantage point and start glassing. We see gemsbok, fallow deer....and then Martin and Tandy spot Kudu. Martin keeps picking the bush apart, then looks at me and gives a spiral signal above his ears...Kudu bull. I slide in behind the spotting scope and look at my first mature Kudu bull. Martin outlines the stalking plan, then we set off. About 1000 meters from the Kudu, we leave the bakkie and move forward on foot. We move in below the spot where the bull and his cows are located....we watch a few cows move off. Martin sends Tandy around to give the bull his wind, to see if he'll move past us. All of a sudden, we're almost run over by two Impala rams. Close behind them, here comes the Kudu bull. It gets a bit Western here, he's running through the thorn bush about 50 - 60 yards to our left. I get off the sticks, and find him in the scope...lose him, find him again...I have to wait for an opening. He's there, and I fire...Martin says, "You got him"! We both listen, and then hear a wire fence squeak, so we both run through an opening in the brush and see him on the other side of the fence, trying to get up. "Shoot him, quick, quick", he says. Just as the bull gains his feet, I shoot him behind the shoulder and down he goes. Martin grabs my hand in a handshake, "Good shooting!", he says with a big smile. We walk over and I put my hands on his horns...he's beautiful. Dena comes over, and says "Great bull!" He's just what I wanted...an older bull, with horns that are wide, with some wear on them. Tandy goes to get the bakkie while Martin takes pictures. I realize that I now have 3/4 of the Spiral Slam.... Hmmmm…. On our way back to the lodge, we run into Gary, the owner, and he congratulates me on my Kudu bull. Tandy and a couple of the lodge hands look after the skinning, and then we have brunch. I talk to Gary to see if he has any duct tape or something I could put on my rifle barrel to kill the shine....the damn thing is like a light saber when it gets any sunlight on it. He comes up with some camouflage bowhunters tape...perfect.

We head out, and Dena is on deck again, for a Red Hartebeest. We move to a vantage point and start glassing...Martin finds them, and the stalk is on. We get just so far, then Tandy and I stay behind while he and Dena move up. We're there for some time, as we watch the herd. There's about forty of them, and they're almost all bedded down. Then, wouldn't you know it, the one that they had decided on stands up....just like that! BOOM - SMACK! The herd of Hartebeest and Springbok all take off...except for Dena's bull, he's down for the count, and he's a beauty!! Heavy horns, with really long points - She's really happy. More hugs and smiles, photos, then off to the skinning shed.

It's late in the day, so we go looking for Kudu for Dena. We do find a tremendous bull right at last light, but it's too far for a stalk now. We decide to get on him in the morning, as he's undisturbed.
30 June
Up at 0600, breakfast, get ready. We leave the lodge the same way we came in last night, but we don't get very far. Martin spots 4-5 Kudu bulls on the mountainside just behind the lodge, and we can't pass this opportunity up. He glasses for a few minutes, and then picks out a bull for Dena. He gets her set up on the short sticks, in a solid sitting position, and tells her where to aim...BOOM - SMACK! "Shoot again", he says. BOOM - SMACK! The bull is hit hard...he tries to go uphill, but he can't. We move a bit, and she gets set up...BOOM - SMACK! He's down, and he's just what she was looking for...a bull with horns that have a tighter curl, and not as wide.

Dena is ecstatic....she has taken every animal she wanted, with the exception of a Springbok. I still have a Warthog to find, and maybe an Impala.
We have brunch and chat with the owners for a bit, while capes and horns are being packed up. We're going to head back to Outspan for the remainder of our hunt. When we do get back, they have a late lunch waiting for us. The meals have been excellent, and I didn't lose any weight, lol. We go out for a late afternoon hunt, looking for Warthogs, but don't see any big boars.
1 July
Canada Day!! Normal morning routine, off to look for a Warthog, and a good Impala if we see one. We do some hiking this morning, followed by some glassing. We find some pigs, but by the time we are doing the final stalk, the wind changes and foils our plans. The rest of the morning is uneventful, and we go back for lunch. We head out on the main property to see if we find a big Impala, and we do....but he has other plans. He gives us the slip twice, just like a wise whitetail buck would, lol. So, Impala - 2, Us - 0, on this night, lol.
2 July
Normal morning routine, and off to look for Warthogs again. The large boars are being tough to find...it's post-rut and they're back to their solitary ways. We find some pigs and stalk in to about 15-20 yards....the wind swirls, up go their tails, and they're off, lol. We see numerous other game animals in our travels this morning...Kudu, Waterbuck, Impala...we decide to move to a different part of the concession, come around a corner and there's a pig!! He sees us, and he's gone in a flash, diving into a brush-choked ravine. Martin and I both say some nasty things at the same time, look at each other and laugh. We look until noon, then head back for lunch. The afternoon is much the same...lots of pigs, but no big boars. Back to Outspan for supper.
As we're coming back onto the main lodge property, Martin says, "Look at all the jackals"!! I sensed that this was an opportunity not to be passed up, so I got myself ready while he made sure we would be shooting in a safe direction...I got on the one as she moved away at a bit of an angle, squeezed the trigger, and SMACK - down...another one came back towards her...I put the crosshairs on the chest and squeezed...BOOM - thump. Two jackals down. The owner, Andrew was very pleased when we told him that two jackals were down.

3 July
We head to a different concession today, looking for a really big boar that Martin saw earlier in the year. We do see another Jackal, but can't get a shot. As we go down the road, martin sees a big boar, but he zigs when we zag, and he escapes. We see more sows and piglets, another really nice Kudu bull.
Dena is not feeling well today...she got bitten by a tick, so it's off to the Doctor for her to get it looked after. After lunch we go to look for Impala again, but Martin isn't seeing what he wants. We come back to the main property, and go looking for a very Ram that we had seen earlier in the week. We find him and his girls, and have to do a bit of a stalk to get into position. I get set up on the short sticks in a solid sitting position, let the crosshairs settle and squeeze the trigger...BOOM - SMACK. He takes off to our right, into the brush. We take the bakkie down to where he was, and Martin asks if it's okay to do a trailing training session with his younger dog, Muffin. "Okay with me", I say. He puts him on the blood, and we watch him start to work out the trail....he goes back and forth, moving along the trail slowly...and then he finds the Ram. Martin lets Rocky go, and he's gone like a bullet, to join his younger buddy. It's fun watching these dogs work.

Rocky on the left and Muffin on the right, as you look at the picture.
The meals have been fantastic...grilled Gemsbok at Imvani Lodge...

4 July
Happy Independence day to all my American friends, and Brothers and Sisters in Arms, serving and retired. Back on the Warthog trail today. We manage to stalk in on a few groups, which is fun. We are moving along a trail when Tandy taps on the roof...Big pig. We're out, and soon running through the tall grass, to try and get to a position where we can see, but no luck. We end up talking to a herdsman, who tells Martin that the big boar has been feeding beside his hut every day, lol. We start to move back down the trail, as it's getting late, when we see some pigs on a ridge. Martin sees a shooter and we're off again. We get out of the bakkie, and we're soon running, trying to cut him off....no luck.
We go back for supper to find that a few more friends have dropped in, so it's drinks and good conversation until supper. Dena has made a Lemon Merengue pie for dessert...yummy!!
5 July - last hunting day
It's the last hunting day...and conditions are not great for pigs. It's overcast, and cool. We're back on a concession from earlier in the hunt, as we had seen a lot of pigs there. Martin takes us to spots that are more protected from the wind, and it pays off. We pull up to a glassing spot overlooking a grassy basin, that was bisected by a strip of heavy cover...he looks through his binos and says "There's one...and he's a shooter. Let's go". We bail out and make our way down the hill, stopping to glass a couple of times, No time is wasted getting to the basin, where he takes one last look to confirm the pig's position, then we're off on the run. We only stop once so that I can get hold of my sling, as the swivels squeak, and we're off again. We break through the cover on the trail and go into a walk. I begin my breathing routine in order to get breathing and heart rate under control, then the sticks are set up. He gets me onto the boar, I take two big breaths, and squeeze the trigger...BOOM - SMACK! The boar's back end drops, but he's not down...I think the bullet may have just touched the underside of the spine, just behind the ribcage. I shoot again, and miss...shoot again and punch the shoulder, he's down. Smiles and handshakes, then we walk over. Martin signals Tandy to bring the bakkie down to us. Both dogs get out and join in on the festivities, lol. The boars left tusk is worn down from digging and rooting, but he looks good to me. I have a new found respect for Warthogs now.

I'm glad we got it done in the morning...gave Martin time for some paperwork, and us time to pack for our vacation portion of our trip.
I cannot say enough about how well we were looked after at Outspan Lodge. Andrew, Debbie and Laura Brill are the finest of people. They run a very well-kept lodge, and our wish was their command. We ended up being very good friends by the end of our time there, and we would go back in a heartbeat.

KMG Safaris put together an excellent hunting experience for us - great concessions, lots of game and an absolutely excellent PH in Martin Neuper. He knows his craft inside and out, his game knowledge is amazing, and his ability to spot game is like nothing I have ever seen. His tracker Tandy is outstanding, and the dogs were rally something to watch when they went to work. I cannot say enough good things about KMG Safaris...from start to finish they were on top of every detail. I am already making plans for a return trip...I'm missing 1/4 of my Spiral Slam...

 

Thanks for the great report. I really enjoyed it. The animals are fantastic. My brother hunted with Martin and also had a tremendous experience. I just scheduled a trip to Namibia for next spring. Your report is just fueling the fire! Thanks for your service in Canada. I appreciate our friends to the north!

 

Nicely done!! Congrats on the hunt! Ya'll have some nice trophies and memories!

 

Very well done congrats!

 

Congrats on your hunt! I hunted with KMG last year and killed a Kudu almost identical to the one you got!

 

Congrats on your hunt, and thanks for sharing !

 

Thank you so much!! It was awesome!!