SOUTH AFRICA: First-Timer Success With Kuche Safaris May 2023

[HookMeUpII]

I am going to go through this day-by-day, post-by-post, to keep things organized. To say it was an amazing experience is an understatement.

Day 0: Background, Departure, and Arrival

This trip was borne by a random Gunbroker search on a lazy lunch break in April of 2021. I came upon an add for "Rife w/ Free Safari" by a firearms dealer known as JD Outfitters in Oklahoma. I shared it with my cousin, who after helping me verify it was in fact legit, shared with my brother and uncle. A little over 2 years later, all 4 of us were on our way to RSA to hunt with Kuche Safaris.

It was a long 2 years and 1 month. The last weeks were brutal. Finally, we found ourselves on our way to Newark Airport, NJ to leave on a 15 hour flight to Jo'Burg. The experience got off to an interesting start with the United rep not knowing how to handle checking in our rifles. She was pleasant, and actually funny, finally figuring it out. We boarded the plane to our Premium Plus seats, which I highly recommend. They are wider, recline more, have more leg and arm room, come with Premier Access boarding, and just make the 16-17 hour flight much easier.

After a very, very long 16 hours. We touched down in Jo'Burg. It was, up until this point, pretty anti-climatic. It was dark on arrival so we couldn't see much. After going through customs, we asked one of the nice and soft spoken airport personnel where "Mr. X" was. She informed us that we would get our bags then head out the "exit" signs to meet him. We proceeded with our bags to the exit where we met Jacko, one of the PH's for Kuche, who would take us to Mr. X and then back to camp. We met Mr. X, who was very pleasant and enthusiastic. Our rifle cases were waiting in the SAPS for us. They reviewed our forms and we were off to the races.

The drive from Jo'Burg to Kuche was about 3.5 hours. We stopped a few times along the way to stretch our legs, fuel the van, and grab snacks/drinks. We shared the van with some other hunters and had quite a bit of laughs along the way. Finally reaching Kuche, Jacko took a quick stop to show us some of the animals on the way. To say we were primed with anticipation was an understatement. Reaching Kuche, we were greeted with cold beers, mac and cheese hot from the oven with wildebeest chunks, which we enjoyed in the beautiful lodge.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 1: Prep and The Watering Hole

There were some debate between us as to whether we would hunt the first day. 3 out of the 4 said probably not, with me being the 1 who expected us to. I was right. In the morning I was told we would, it would be a light day at a watering hole, after sighting in our rifles. After a nice breakfast, we were introduced to our PH's. My PH was Rudolph, a young and quiet gentleman, who I would come to know and work with very well. All of us gathered in a room to discuss our wants/lists. Mine was simple:

First the animals in my package: Impala, blesbok, and warthog
Then the animal I would add: Blue wildebeest OR gemsbok.

We then proceeded to the range where we sighted in. Some were on, some were off. I took 2 shots and my PH said, you're more than good, lets head out.

It was about a 30-45 min drive to the first concession/property. On the way, we picked up our tracker Lucas. The property was a massive, multi-area, 30,000 acre property. Watering holes, blinds, open fields, it had it all. Rudolph explained to me that day 1 would be showing us the lay of the land, animals, and give us a feel for Africa. If something presented the opportunity we would take it. We pulled up to a blind overlooking the watering hole and setup.

The first animal we saw was a very, very large male waterbuck. Rudolph explained it was a very nice shooter if I wanted to take but it wasn't on my list. From there we saw, impala, warthogs by the dozens (no shooter males and they were closed on the property) and a pretty amazing showing of giraffes. Right at sunset we got a glimpse of what my PH said was probably a 50" kudu. The kudu impressed me...a lot. It grew dark, we packed up, and headed back to the lodge. We had an amazing dinner of wild game which I want to say was blesbok.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 2: First Blood and The Monster

Day 2 saw us starting early. After an early breakfast, my PH Rudolph made a quick stop to grab Lucas the tracker, before heading back to the nearest Kuche property about 5-10 min outside the camp. Rudolph explained that we would first try to get my feet wet with a blesbok, which the close property had many of. After a quick drive, he instructed me to get into the back of his HiLux truck and load up. The day was overcast, with a chance for rain, and actually cool. It didn't take long before we spotted a group of blesbok with 1-2 shooter males in the group. They were mixed with some white ones. Rudolph instructed me to get ready, and shoot from the truck if I was comfortable. I lined him up but no shot. Too many bushes/brush/sticks. He said was must depart the truck and stalk on foot. As soon as I got off the truck, I heard a rumble of thunder. The stalk began. I was amazed out how he stalked. He would move quick, stop still as a statue, when the animals looked towards us. He was cautious with the wind. Now it began to rain. We continued on. We stalked for quite a while. At one point, he whispered for me to stay dead still as 2 massive cape eland walked 10 yards from us. Seeing 1000 lb+ animals walk 10 yards from you is an experience. We continued the cat and mouse game until lightning cracked across the sky and it poured. Rudolph said lets get back to the truck and wait this out. Lucas came back around with the truck, we climbed in. We waited out the rain. Once it stopped, Rudolph began driving. He stopped abruptly, said "There they are, lets give them another try" and we got out to re-stalk the blesbok. Another game of cat and mouse. Finally, he told me to get ready. He setup the sticks. He told me to take the shot if I could. Finally, the blesbok cleared from the brush in a shooting lane. I let the Barnes 180gr TTSX in 300 win mag fly. The rifle hopped on the sticks, Rudolph says "Down...." and extends his hand. I shook it and just like that we had first blood. Walking up I was pretty pumped to now have my first African animal. They propped him up and prepped for pictures. Plenty of handshakes, "good jobs", and "congrats." Rudolph said the shot was perfect and instantly fatal. He went 0 yards.

We dropped him back off at Kuche to be skinned and put in the salt. We headed right back out to the property we hit the first day. The plan was to sit for warthog at another watering hole for the heat of the day and then drive around looking for opportunity. Rudolph and I were in the back of the truck as Lucas drove. We saw many, many animals on the way in. Wildebeest, kudu, some gemsbok, zebra, and some female impala. We eventually arrived into this very unique burnt area with lush re-growth. We arrived at the watering hole. As I got out of the back of the truck, Rudolph quickly whispers to me change of plans: Group of about 10 male impala and 1-2 looked like shooters. Finding ourselves back on another stalk, it was the same cat and mouse game. Go slow, abruptly stop, don't move, bump, and repeat. Finally he whispered to me, "get ready we will have a shot." He setup the sticks, but once again, no shot. I had told Rudolph I would only shoot if I was confident. The one male we wanted had now moved back to cover. Rudolph said to me there was another, get ready, he's coming out into a shooting lane. I could see his head and horns, he whispered again "get ready, I'll whistle him to stop." Finally I could see the yellow triangle where my shot was going to go just high on the shoulder. Rudolph whistled, he stopped, and I shot. As the scope hopped I could see him spring on his back legs, 2-4 yds back, and then land. Rudolph says again "He's down..." and extends his hand. We approached him after about 100 yd walk. Then something special happened. Rudolph didn't say much. He looks at me and goes "I want to let you know I think this is the biggest impala I have seen." It looked big, but what did I know. The tracker Lucas approaches. Rudolph said to listen to what he says. Lucas goes "Oh my God...a monster!" I asked Rudolph how big it was and he said it had to be pushing 25". Rudolph said my shot was perfect and that it likely was a heart shot. Once again, the 300 win mag Barnes TTSX proved to be effective.

We lugged him back to the truck which was easily 800-1000 yds away. They insisted I not help. I watched Lucas attempt to put him on his back before falling over under the weight. I said I'm helping, grabbed his front legs, and we all carried him back. Back at the truck, they took exceptional care with the pictures. The PH immediately pulled the measuring tape. 25 1/4" on one horn, 24 7/8" on the other. We loaded him up into the truck. It had taken quite a bit of time to get him back. We missed the heat of the day. Rudolph said we would continue driving around. We saw lots more animals but nothing we would shoot.

Back at the lodge, Corbus with his iPhone airdropped me the pics Rudolph had sent. For those who don't know, Corbus is Koos' son. Kuche Safari is an awesome family operation. I'll touch on that later. Corbus said that my impala was huge and likely world class. A couple people at dinner asked to see my impala as well. By now it was dawning on me this was probably something special. I had an amazing dinner, 2 beers, and linked up with Rudolph about what the next day would look like.

We ended up in a convo about kudu. I'll get into this more on the next post.

 

[AZDAVE]

nice impala. looking forward to the rest of your adventure.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 3: Plans Change

There's a little backstory on this that needs to be told. Going into this, I had said to my wife that my add-on would be either a wildebeest or gemsbok. Somewhere along the way I showed her a pic of a kudu. Like most people who don't know what one is, when they first see them, it is impressive. She had asked me at the time "Why don't you shoot one of them if you can?" The answer was 2 fold: cost and well, maybe it is above my experience level. On the way back on day 2, I ended up in a convo with Rudolph about them. I said I would love to shoot one but it was above my price range. After some discussion, it was apparent my thought about the price was wrong, and they actually were much less. I then said to him I didn't think my experience was at the level it needed to be. He told me that if I listened to him and shot as well as I did so far, I could very likely take one. A quick call to my wife to explain the situation and she convinced me to do it. A quick convo was then in order with Rudolph. He returned to me after dinner and said we would head to a new property tomorrow, supposedly loaded with kudu.

We got up extra early. Arriving at the property...it was well...unique. It was big, loaded with cattle, and very thick. My first thought was how in the world would we stalk through this? We drove around, and around. We saw a couple kudu, mostly small, and some gemsbok. We drove by cattle feed stations, small watering troughs, some which had blinds near them. Before lunch, Rudolph all of a sudden stops as he rounds the corner into a clearing down a fence line. He quickly backs the truck up, shuts it off, pauses and looks at me. He says "There is a monster kudu at the end of the field. Lets get you loaded and we're going after him." Part of me didn't want to. I didn't want to fail, in whatever way I could. We stalked our way up. We actually stalked up through the dense brush as they were in a very open area around the cattle feeder. Taking it slow, Rudolph stops, whispers to me "We are too close." Somehow, we had ended up no more than 10 yds from them. What was a monster bull was actually now a monster bull + 5-6 other females and young males. That's when we heard the "ROOOOF! ROOOOF!" of the monster bull signaling the others that we were there. Shortly after, there were thundering hoofs and crashing in the brush as they stampeded away. Now I was even more rattled. Rudolph assured me that there was nothing I did wrong and that we simply were too close with an already challenging setup.

We spent some time driving looking for more opportunities. Finally, we settled on a cattle feed/water area with a very "interesting" looking elevated box blind. He sent Lucas off with the truck, we climbed up to sit and have lunch. I wasn't expecting much because well, it just didn't look the part. Well, looks are deceiving. There were cows in the paddock drinking and eating. Didn't take long before about 7-8 kudu came in to drink and feed from the cattle trough, females and young males. Then gemsbok arrived. Big ones, and they were starting to look attractive. We watched 2 absolute monster males fight. I was quite entertained and impressed. My mind was thinking "Here's your out. Take one of those nice gemsbok that you had wanted." Time went on, no big kudu males. Just females and young males, a lot of them.

Finally, Rudolph said Lucas would be coming back soon with the truck and began to take the door off the blind. As he did he all of a sudden he stops and whispers abruptly "Don't move! Big kudu...big kudu." My heart started to pound. I couldn't find him. Rudolph pointed him out and he was big. I spent some time shuffling around the blind trying to setup for a shot. We had already taken the sticks down as we were getting out of the blind, rifle was resting in a corner. Finally, I settled on a setup through one of the "windows", using my hand as a rest for the front of the rifle against the frame of the blind. We were completely exposed with the door off and there was no putting it back on. He fed about 80-90 yds off barely in a shooting lane with now some females around him. My heart was pounding in my ears. Rudolph could hear my breathing and reminded me to take some deep breaths. I looked through the scope. No shot, repeatedly. It was either brush in the way, females in front, or behind. It seemed like hours looking at him in the scope which was only minutes. He reminded me to not rush the shot, but Lucas would be coming. Finally, the females moved. He told me he would come back out and be ready. He was quartering away. Just as he told me, I lined him up between the first and second stripes right behind the shoulder. I whispered to Rudolph "shooting..." I squeezed and boom. Rifle jumped and my heart pounded. But I heard something. It was a "thud!" But did I hear it? Or was it my mind?

We climbed out of the blind using the metal ladder. It was clanging as I climbed down from my shaking knees. Rudolph starts laughing as he points and here comes Lucas with the truck. He said "Good timing!" Rudolph said he didn't see him kick/jump, nor did he see the impact. He said he was confident I did good, though. At least that made one of us. Lucas arrived. It seemed like an eternity but we finally proceeded to where he stood. There was blood, immediately. Rudolph explained it was good blood, lung, and then pointed out some lung on the brush. Then I spotted more blood. Lucas moved from there, where I pointed, to another spot of blood. He looks over the brush and then says it:

"He's down..."

I said I needed a minute to catch my breath as I was in shock.

Entrance.

'
Exit.

He had gone no more than 10-15 yds. Rudolph shook my hand and told me I was doing some good shooting. We prepped him for pics. I actually had service and was able to text my wife. She responded with that she was fighting back tears at work with how happy she was. I was still in shock. We loaded him into the truck with the winch. I asked Rudolph if it was a good one. He said yes, absolute shooter any day of the week. Just like that, Africa gave me the "Grey Ghost." So many things could have gone wrong, but they didn't. It almost didn't happen, but it did. Rudolph again applauded me on my shooting and how I listened.

We were about an hour away from camp and Rudolph said we should head home otherwise we would be late for dinner. That night the beers were especially good and the eland steaks were especially delicious. The adrenaline finally wore off and I slept like a baby.

 

[jhendricks]

Excellent write up!

 

[Flipper Dude]

Excellent impala. I never tire of hunting them.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 4: Rudolph's Home

Blesbok - Check
Impala - Check
Kudu - Check (unexpectedly)
Warthog - Need

Rudolph said today we would be hunting a watering hole all day. Being that we had such good success so far, he wanted to devote the day entirely to getting a big male pig with massive tusks. He mentioned to me it would be difficult. That time of year the males tend to be off in the thick of the brush. He said he knew we could do it if we put in the time. I agreed completely as with 3 days hunting left, I only had one animal to check off the list.

The property we went to was actually his. It was the farm where his home was located. I got a chance to meet his lovely family. Made me really miss mine but I felt very at home. We grabbed some chairs from the house. We proceeded through the fields to a small watering hole with a beautiful concrete blind sunk into the ground. It was in a small cattle area. Rudolph said the wind today would be tough but we might manage. He lit some "cow pies" on fire that were dry to mask our scent...clever. We had warthogs coming into this cool little watering hole only yards from our faces. No shooters though. The day wore on. Rudolph said he was surprised we didn't get any shooters. Just as we were about to get up and move on as it was late, a big shooter male appeared from literally 10' from the blind. We tried to get up and get ready but it was just too close. He put his nose up, smelled us, and darted off. Rudolph cursed the wind and said lets leave and try something different to close out the day.

We proceeded to one of his other fields for dusk. He explained we would stalk through the fields looking for a big shooter male pig at dusk. We stalked and stalked. This property was vastly different. It looked like how you would expect Africa to look. It was open and vast, with high grass. We saw 2 monster sable in the distance. We spotted a few females with piglets but no big male. On the way out, in the dark, we caught something in our lights. I asked "What the hell was that?" Lucas and Rudolph said it was a huge male pig. They put me into the back of the truck. They said load up and be ready. They told me they would try to light it with the headlights and to be quick, but good, with the shot. We could not find it. I unloaded, climbed back in, and we headed back to came.

No shortage of good views though.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 5: The List Grows and Black Death

More backstory needed here. As I mentioned, I had the impala, blesbok, and warthog (still needed) included in the package. The plan was to add a wildebeest or gemsbok. I instead, was convinced by my wife (thankfully) to add a kudu. Talking to her on the phone the night before, we talked about the warthog being it and I was done. She asked "What about the wildebeest that you had really wanted?" I told her I was already over-budget. She said "Well I'm giving you a gift. Go get your wildebeest and let me know how much it is with a shoulder mount, if you get one." I got a little choked up. My wife is the best. Not much more I can say. I hit the lotto with her.

Just to show you what type of operation Kuche is, I ended up telling Koos in passing my wife was going to buy the blue wildebeest for me if I get it. He said "Well, being that's the case, I'm giving you a special price (lower than on the list). Anyone argues with you at the end when we settle up, you tell them argue with me because that's the price I gave you." That was just awesome. Great family run operation which I'll get into more later.

I told Rudolph and he actually said that would be perfect. We would go back to the big property, try for wildebeest in the morning, jot over to a nearby watering hole at lunch for a pig, and then back for wildebeest. He explained to me the wildebeest bed near the road and get up early to move into the thick stuff. Pulling into the property at sunrise, we immediately see a big bull blue wildebeest walking the road. Rudolph and I went onto the stalk. Once again, like the kudu, he was in the open and we had to go through the woods. I learned a valuable lesson about stalking:

Step where your PH steps.

We got somewhat closer to him and "crack!" I stepped on a stick. Rudolph freezes. From the other side of the brush, I could hear him snort and huff. Before long he stormed off the road and into the thick brush. We continued on the stalk but he kept bumping off. We eventually broke off and started back to the truck. Heading back to the truck, Rudolph stops. Looks right, and whispers "another bull!" Now we were on a new stalk. Same procedure, but now I knew: Step where he steps. I did. At one point he pauses, looks down at the tracks, and mouths quietly as he points down "cape buffalo tracks...fresh..." A chill went up my spine. He takes a few more steps. Looking down, the tracks were overlapping the wildebeest. Rudolph stops again, comes close, and he whispers to me "He might be in here with our wildebeest. It's thick. Move slow. If I say stop, you stop. If I tell you back up slow, just go slow, and smooth. We will be OK." We continued. Unfortunately, I think he (they) got our wind. I heard the wildebeest huff and snort. Then just like that, again, I heard what sounded like 2 big animals storming off. Rudolph untenses, says a little louder "We bumped him. No worries. We will find another." I asked about the buffalo. He said he thinks there was one not far away and probably in there with the big bull wildebeest. He said he has run into them on stalks before and it always went fine.

From where the day got hot, we drove around more. We found a watering area in that property Rudolph said we could come back late afternoon after sitting for hogs on another property (the one he owned). We headed to that property. Rudolph said he liked this watering hole better. It was more spread out, lots of mud. We cursed the wind a bit, again. Rudolph said we would sit in the back of the truck under a tree. The setup was...well... challenging. I would have to shoot over one of his cows, through the top wires of a fence, next to another cow, and possibly other obstacles for the shot. I said to him I really was nervous about shooting his cows and he assured me that based on my shots so far, he was not worried.

It didn't take long for the pigs to come in. They came almost immediately. It was hot, and they wanted to cool off. Some females with piglets arrived, then young males, more females, but no shooters. Rudolph and I discussed time was getting short and he recommended taking a good old tusker female if the opportunity arose. We had one hunting day left and needed a pig and wildebeest for my grown-list. Sure enough, here came an old female into the mud. Rudolph said she's a shooter. I had to wait for it to clear a cow then turn anything other than full front, to give me a shot. Patience paid off. I put the 300WM just next to her head, on the top of the right shoulder, as she finally quartered to me. She went 10 yds and expired. Beautiful old female with nice tusks that will make a good euro.

After some pics and handshakes, we headed back to the other property to hopefully find a nice bull blue wildebeest. On the way, he mentioned to me that 2 guys at camp wounded 2 separate wildebeests in the morning that they couldn't find. That resonated in my mind with what I already knew: Your 5th shot better be your last, because they are tough.

Arriving back at the water hole, (which was more of a basin with a salt block) we had scouted before, there were rhino droppings and rhino tracks all over. Rudolph said that he thought we might see it come into the water being it was hot and later afternoon. The setup was just as I mentioned, with a concrete/stone sunken in blind in the middle. It was a really neat setup. It was just cool how the trees were sparse and it was more open. We moved into the blind. Rudolph was next to me, Lucas sat behind on the cooler. We were sitting for minutes, literally. I look up and to my shock, a big bull blue wildebeest was sitting 20 yds in front of the blind, pacing around the salt cautiously. I whispered frantically "Shooter! Shooter!" Rudolph looks up and whispers "Get on the sticks. Take your time. You know what to do." I lined it up right on his shoulder, almost 100% broadside. I let her rip one last time. He jumped and kicked at the impact but tore off like a bat at of hell to the right. It got quiet. Rudolph looks at me and goes "That didn't even take 5 minutes!"

We got out and on the track. Now I was nervous. No blood. Rudolph said to me sometimes they do not bleed right away. Being they are known as the poor mans cape buffalo, confidence was falling. Now we were on our longest track of the safari at about 50 yds. Lucas worked his magic. Now we found blood. It didn't take more than another 50 yds before Lucas says:

"There he is, good job!"

We checked him out. Such a cool animal. Every animal I harvested was cool but this one was special in its own way. It was a gift from Africa and my wife. Blue wildebeest to me are just iconic animals to say the least. Rudolph applauded me on another, 5 for 5, good shot. As tough as they are, the combo of my aim, the 300 WM, and Barnes TTSX was magic. It went right in the right shoulder and clear through the left. Took out both lungs.

We winched him into the truck and headed home. My shooting and safari was over, with one hunting day left. Back at camp my group and some of the guys congratulated me on a very good week.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Day 6: Town

Day 6 was an easy one. Rudolph told me to sleep in and whatever I wanted to hunt/see he would be around. I opted to have him take me to Lephalale. I went to buy some souvenirs and what not. We stopped at the Wildman gun shop. Pretty neat place. I bought a shirt and some souvenirs. Very interesting to see all the reloading supplies and brands you can only get there. From there we grabbed some biltong fresh from the market. We then hit the mall for lunch then back to camp. It was the perfect end to the trip.

Returning back to camp, Rudolph and I got my paperwork in order for the next morning which was our departure day.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Final Thoughts: Kuche

I would, and will, absolutely go back. More than likely it will be with my wife and son when he's old enough. Koos and his family run a beautiful operation. The PH's and staff wait on you hand and foot. Koos says it in the beginning: I can't fix something you don't tell me about, so please, tell me. The communal atmosphere, as others have said on here, is very nice. Hanging out with others in the camp was a lot of fun. Koos has a PH say grace before dinner every night. Ladies go first. The food? Well, it's amazing.

Close call on my favorite. I can't pick. Kudu, eland, and zebra were my top 3. We had impala, blesbok, as well and they all were delicious too. Chef Robert is a hell of a chef. It was nice to come home from a hard day of hunting to a nice hot meal and a cold beer.

We were in the cabins. They are nice. Heated and airconditioned, nice hot showers, and comfy beds. The lodge is brand new. They now have wifi in all the cabins so calling home is easy using WhatsApp. I was able to talk to the wife every night.

I cannot say enough about my PH Rudolph and tracker Lucas. Both of them worked their tails off to get me my target species and make sure I had a good experience. We were just really successful and it was all to their credit.

I highly recommend anyone looking for a good experience to check out Kuche Safaris. Koos and his entire staff were amazing to deal with and made my experience in RSA awesome.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Excellent impala. I never tire of hunting them.

The next time I come back it will be hard not to. My PH said I might not break my own personal record even hunting another life time. Thank god they come in a couple other varieties! The black impala are stunning.

 

[Shooter375]

Great report. I really enjoyed reading it.

 

[buck wild]

very nice!

 

[bo4elk]

Very nice write up, thank you!

 

[Beaufort]

Congrats on a great hunt! Koos is a wonderful guy and great host!

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Congratulations on a great hunt and some fine trophies. Glad you had the experience of a lifetime

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Hunt anything]

Great report, Africa has grabbed another soul. When are yo going back?

 

[Beck]

congrats!