whitetail
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2016
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- Hunted
- RSA, Zimbabwe
As promised, I wanted to give a good account of the AAA Serapa Safaris trip but need to get caught up a few days both on work (and the jet lag)...
As previously stated, the flight from KC, MO to JoBurg on the Delta 200 was fortunately uneventful in my case. Now for my business partner, not so much... We arrived at the Afton Guest House after having Mr. X assist us at the airport with clearing my rifles as well as assisting with the bows. For those that don't know Mr. X (Xolile Monakali), well, to be frank, it's an absolute must. He makes the check-in and out of the airport 100 times easier (I know there are other companies as well, however, several of the folks "in the know" will only use him and rightly so)... Most on here know that the Afton House has since been taken over by new folks (I missed talking to Annaliese however) and who have and are currently still in the process of remodeling/refreshing the place and have done a wonderful job! It's 10 minutes from the airport in a gated community which is a bonus. Minus Steve and I, there were 14 other clients traveling with us. Steve and I as well as my taxidermy buddy and his son (who went for his senior highschool trip- great trip, right?!) flew the Delta way while the remaining clients went from Dallas-Dubai-JoBurg on Emirates to save a lil cash. They arrived about 3 hours after we did. All had a few celebratory Castle beers at Afton and then off to bed.
Next day we woke up early and everyone was excited to make the 6 hour shuttle drive up to Serapa (minus Steve who unfortunately his 120 year old Churchill 450/400 double was still not at the airport- thus he would not make the shuttle ride that day- his double actually was flown back to ATL from London and then back to JoBurg- CRAZY!!!, especially since that rifle's value is so far beyond my pay grade lol!!). There were 3 wives, one girlfriend and an uncle that went along for the fun with the hunting clients- all but one be first-timers to Africa). There was much anticipation for sure! I think the shanty towns seen in and outside JoBurg (as well as the stench of raw sewage in abundance) really made the first-timers realize how fortunate they were to be Americans. Anyway, that is a different topic for a different day and most of you on here that have (or live) in Africa know what I'm talking about...
Finally got to Serapa about 9pm that night and welcomed with the customary shots of Amarula. All the luggage and rifles/bows were put up and then back to the bar to meet all the PHs and more (and more) celebratory Castle Lites. BTW- I'm sure I would be significantly heavier if I lived in RSA because I absolutely LOVE Castle Lite!!! It does not leave the bitter beer face or aftertaste the next day on your tongue as most American beers do. So let's just say I put away a few on the trip... To bed and up and at 'em early the next morning.
For those of you that haven't been to Serapa, one of the staples at the dinner table they are known for is their special "Serapa Sauce"- apparently a "mildly" spicy sauce that can be placed on anything and everything. My not so strong stomach does not allow such vices so I passed (the only one in the group lol).
Most of the clients were bowhunters (only myself as well as one other client started out using rifles). I always take along my tack-driving .308 Browning X-Bolt with Nikon Prostaff 4X12 BDC scope with 165 grain Fusion (whitetail) bullets. Now, I know, I know- most on here are like- Fusion?? WTH???!!!! Believe me, I've said it before and I'll say it again, that ammo has been one shot, one kill on nearly ALL my plains game animals (I took the waterbuck and huge eland bulls with my .375). This includes taking the enormous red hartebeest on the next to last day at 320 yards right in the heart- went 15 yards and down. So for those of you thinking that Walmart-sold ammo won't get the job done, well let me change your mind (or I guess I could say I'm just that good- haha!
). My other rifle is my CZ .375 H&H Safari Magnum with Leuopold 1.5-6 VX scope using 270 grain soft Hornady DG ammo (now- this DID get the job done on ALL my animals, however, I will likely switch over to the DGX- in fact, I spoke with my local gunshop today about this).
After all the clients (and myself) had sighted in their respective weapons, it was off on the chase! Most went to blinds- I however, feel that spot and stalk is the ONLY way to go when hunting in Africa. Please don't tie a noose around my neck and hang me for saying this, it's just the way I feel. To each his own. I will say that at the pre-departure meeting at my home with all the clients one month prior, I did offer the piece of advice that if they each did not get most of their respective plains game package animals by day 4 on the 7 1/2 day hunt, they may consider borrowing a rifle. All but one ended up heeding this advice (and the one that didn't had been shooting 300 arrows per day in target practice approx 2 weeks prior to the trip). As I had told them all, African animals are absolutely NOT the whitetail, mulies and elk here in the States. They are MUCH tougher and just have a will to not die! Plus, their vitals are more forward- right behind their shoulder blade so shots with the bow must be placed exactly or there would be many wounded animals. I ended up being right on this- guess a squirrel does occasionally find a nut lol!
My first stalk was on a bedded springbuck- for which I did not take on my first Serapa trip 2 years ago. CJ Claasens, my trusty PH whom I used 2 years ago as well and my cameraman Chris Esterhuizen (who films for Razor Dobbs and Steve Scott) of Jongosi Media spotted him bedded down in one of the semi-open areas. BTW- this is a HUGE piece of advice I must give while thinking of it- if you have not ever had your hunt professionally filmed, well ladies and gents, spend the extra cash (since you're already dropping a few to several thousand bucks anyway) and have your damn safari filmed!!!! Steve and I (Steve filmed a few of our other clients hunts with the Sony Handycam) do film ourselves with the SONY as well as GoPro, but I had met Chris (who is an absolute giant of a man muscle wise- his biceps are larger than the diameter of a telephone pole) on the previous trip to Serapa while he was filming for Steve Scott of The Safari Hunter's Journal on Sportsman's Channel (Mr. Scott has become a good friend as well to me now)- Chris had an opening in his schedule (he also has 2 other filmers for him) so he was able to accomodate me to film my hunt. I CAN'T SPEAK MORE HIGHLY OF CHRIS AND HIS COMPANY JONGOSI MEDIA!!!!! For those that want his contact info or any other information on him or Serapa, please PM me. So I reiterate- higher a damn cameraman- you won't be disappointed!!!... I digressed lol.... So we made the stalk on the bedded springbuck by crawling several meters and wham- the .308 did the trick! Trophy #1 down.
Celebratory beers commence (that will as you have already read, be a general theme thruought the trip)- I've already had to do some extra running since being home when not at work or catching up on sleep. We had a great meal. And now for Day 2- also, one of the clients (who is a great shot with his bow back home I might add) missed a gemsbok. Not sure if it was Buck Fever or what- but he was disappointed around the campfire. I told him to keep his chin up. At the time I was unaware just how much he and most of the other clients would have great difficulty with their bowhunting sits in the blinds. I'm not going to point fingers, etc, but they really came to realize just how tough and sneaky these animals truly are.. Well, back to the story- Day 2 consisted of spot and stalking a herd of zebra. I shot a great looking female there 2 years ago (didn't have a bit up neck from fighting the other stallions so is about to made into a pedestal) but wanted a stallion for a rug. After a 2 1/2 hour game of cat and mouse- those of you that have hunted zebra before know how it goes, well the .308 connected again (as always). Didn't go far and Trophy #2 in the books. Beers...
The nightly activities consisted of shower and clean-up (and for those that haven't been or seen pictures of Serapa- well it's a must) followed by fantastic cuisine, RSA wine, Castle Lite, etc. Again, to each his own vice. Chris, CJ and I (since Chris has a particular affinity for Jack Daniels- hell, that's one of his tattoos on his monstrous arms)- we would always take a shot of JD to toast the day's success and wishing for a great tomorrow. Can't beat the lodge and cabanas there. Anywhere. And I dare you to try... (BTW- it's ranked as one of the Top 500 places in the world to stay). If looking to book there, you can get ahold of me and I can get you in touch or also give a shout to @PhoenixPhil on here- he'll hook you up!!
So, Day 3 and 4 consisted of me (well, let's face it, not so much me) and CJ and our trackers helping out one of the clients who switched over from using his bow on a buff (he made 3 great but ultimately unsuccessful stalks previously) to one of Jacques Spamer's rifles- a .416 Ruger I believe. Steve was filming the shot taken previously the night before- the bull was running at an angle and they were somewhat surprised by this- the client made the shot which we all thought was in the brisket on the video feed rewind. Well folks, it wasn't... Once Bushee, the best damn tracker on the continent, was able to see it bedded down in a bush 900 yards off- and I'm not kidding- 900 yards!!! We all put together our means and helped the guy out tracking that wounded bull. It was a roller coaster of a ride (doing 140 km/hr in the back of the Land Cruiser) across the desert playing leap frog with the bull until we finally won (I swear I nearly bounced out 4 times). The client made 2 great shots and down he went. Come to find out, the original shot was back in the gut- for some reason it didn't bleed much which made everyone scratch their heads a bit but funnier things can happen I guess. The wound was starting to fester- I'd say a few more days and the bull would have been to sick to think about living out his life in Africa anymore...
Day 5 was truly special- was able to make a fantastic stalk on 2 eland bulls (we had been given the slip twice before after freaking kilometer after kilometer of trekking them) that were old and clever. Chris and I even sat down for over an hour while CJ kept trying to figure out a way to sneak up on them downwind. Well, at least he was trying to figure how to sort it out most of the time- one of the glassing missions was more to go take a leak in the bushes more than anything else lol. So we finally made a plan and went downwind slowly. Thought we'd have to go further and were standing scratching our heads when Chris, in the back, said- $#@! look- the 2 bulls stood up out in the clearing and started off but then I guess didn't know what we were so the sticks went up and boom- the .375 270 grain in the shoulder. He ran, and ran, and ran- since he was with the other bull who kept leading him on. We followed the spoor approx 150 yards and then got Focker (yes that truly is the fox terriers name- but for the AH site, I spelled it more proper) to go chase him down. We hopped on the Cruiser and away we went for another wild ride (felt like Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom- you know, when they're going on that railway?!)- got him in my sites again and made the shot. Perfect bull. Perfect horns. Old bull. Sweet!!
One of Serapa's trademark things to do is the "Bush Lunch" by one of the water holes for the traditional braai. We had just put the eland down so we were running a lil late- which I was okay with since they just finished the "shit-spitting" contest. Yes folks, you read correctly. I tried my hand 2 years ago and lost miserably so me not participating this time did not soil my enjoyment of the trip any. But the others had fun. I think Pule Claasens won. CJ, Pule's older bro, won 2 years ago. Must be the genetics. Or too much hot air in their bodies/lungs. Love those guys! The food was delicious and had time to reflect while lounging by the water in the old african safari chairs. Great time with great people.
Day 6 and 7 was Red Hartebeest followed by Waterbuck days, respectively. You guessed it, we'd spot them and made the stalk. The hartebeest I spoke of early on in this review- again, .308 = Tack Driver!!! The waterbuck (this S.O.B. had given us the slip thrice now- I was getting a lil perturbed) was a fine specimen- first shot at 100 yards in the pumphouse, followed him up- AT 6 YARDS!!! He was about to make his stand on us (yes- plains game do sometimes charge- it's real people) from behind a bush when my 2nd shot made him think otherwise.
We were very fortunate to be there for the witnessing of the Blood Moon (I think as a token of our success) on the last night at Serapa after being entertained and sang to by the local tribesman. This is one of the best parts folks! I even learned prior to the trip the words to the song "Shosholosha"- so I joined in. A lil Castle Lite can go a long way in correcting the stage fright lol.
Time for departure from Serapa. Boo!!!! Me no like to think about going home... But we had to leave- shuttles back to JoBurg left at 2am- yep- that's right, 2am. The 6 hour drive seemed to be shorter in this direction tho. The group of clients who flew Emirates went well before us so we made it back to Afton House for a bit and then made the Delta 201 home. FYI- the flight home was the first time (and I've been on that flight a few times) that I did NOT wear my running calf compression sleeves. MISTAKE!!! After I woke up from a long snooze, my feet were swollen big time!!! And I'm in great shape!! So another piece of advice- wear calf compression sleeves!!!
So, in closing, I can't speak more highly of AAA Serapa Safaris- it's owner Yolande Reyneke; it's staff- Francois Steyn (and family to Yolande); the PH's- CJ for me and others for the remaining clients; and the trackers, skinners, wait staff, etc. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend looking up Serapa for your next African safari adventure -that's my plug.
On a separate post, I'll upload more pics as they are currently on my phone and not the laptop.
As previously stated, the flight from KC, MO to JoBurg on the Delta 200 was fortunately uneventful in my case. Now for my business partner, not so much... We arrived at the Afton Guest House after having Mr. X assist us at the airport with clearing my rifles as well as assisting with the bows. For those that don't know Mr. X (Xolile Monakali), well, to be frank, it's an absolute must. He makes the check-in and out of the airport 100 times easier (I know there are other companies as well, however, several of the folks "in the know" will only use him and rightly so)... Most on here know that the Afton House has since been taken over by new folks (I missed talking to Annaliese however) and who have and are currently still in the process of remodeling/refreshing the place and have done a wonderful job! It's 10 minutes from the airport in a gated community which is a bonus. Minus Steve and I, there were 14 other clients traveling with us. Steve and I as well as my taxidermy buddy and his son (who went for his senior highschool trip- great trip, right?!) flew the Delta way while the remaining clients went from Dallas-Dubai-JoBurg on Emirates to save a lil cash. They arrived about 3 hours after we did. All had a few celebratory Castle beers at Afton and then off to bed.
Next day we woke up early and everyone was excited to make the 6 hour shuttle drive up to Serapa (minus Steve who unfortunately his 120 year old Churchill 450/400 double was still not at the airport- thus he would not make the shuttle ride that day- his double actually was flown back to ATL from London and then back to JoBurg- CRAZY!!!, especially since that rifle's value is so far beyond my pay grade lol!!). There were 3 wives, one girlfriend and an uncle that went along for the fun with the hunting clients- all but one be first-timers to Africa). There was much anticipation for sure! I think the shanty towns seen in and outside JoBurg (as well as the stench of raw sewage in abundance) really made the first-timers realize how fortunate they were to be Americans. Anyway, that is a different topic for a different day and most of you on here that have (or live) in Africa know what I'm talking about...
Finally got to Serapa about 9pm that night and welcomed with the customary shots of Amarula. All the luggage and rifles/bows were put up and then back to the bar to meet all the PHs and more (and more) celebratory Castle Lites. BTW- I'm sure I would be significantly heavier if I lived in RSA because I absolutely LOVE Castle Lite!!! It does not leave the bitter beer face or aftertaste the next day on your tongue as most American beers do. So let's just say I put away a few on the trip... To bed and up and at 'em early the next morning.
For those of you that haven't been to Serapa, one of the staples at the dinner table they are known for is their special "Serapa Sauce"- apparently a "mildly" spicy sauce that can be placed on anything and everything. My not so strong stomach does not allow such vices so I passed (the only one in the group lol).
Most of the clients were bowhunters (only myself as well as one other client started out using rifles). I always take along my tack-driving .308 Browning X-Bolt with Nikon Prostaff 4X12 BDC scope with 165 grain Fusion (whitetail) bullets. Now, I know, I know- most on here are like- Fusion?? WTH???!!!! Believe me, I've said it before and I'll say it again, that ammo has been one shot, one kill on nearly ALL my plains game animals (I took the waterbuck and huge eland bulls with my .375). This includes taking the enormous red hartebeest on the next to last day at 320 yards right in the heart- went 15 yards and down. So for those of you thinking that Walmart-sold ammo won't get the job done, well let me change your mind (or I guess I could say I'm just that good- haha!
). My other rifle is my CZ .375 H&H Safari Magnum with Leuopold 1.5-6 VX scope using 270 grain soft Hornady DG ammo (now- this DID get the job done on ALL my animals, however, I will likely switch over to the DGX- in fact, I spoke with my local gunshop today about this).After all the clients (and myself) had sighted in their respective weapons, it was off on the chase! Most went to blinds- I however, feel that spot and stalk is the ONLY way to go when hunting in Africa. Please don't tie a noose around my neck and hang me for saying this, it's just the way I feel. To each his own. I will say that at the pre-departure meeting at my home with all the clients one month prior, I did offer the piece of advice that if they each did not get most of their respective plains game package animals by day 4 on the 7 1/2 day hunt, they may consider borrowing a rifle. All but one ended up heeding this advice (and the one that didn't had been shooting 300 arrows per day in target practice approx 2 weeks prior to the trip). As I had told them all, African animals are absolutely NOT the whitetail, mulies and elk here in the States. They are MUCH tougher and just have a will to not die! Plus, their vitals are more forward- right behind their shoulder blade so shots with the bow must be placed exactly or there would be many wounded animals. I ended up being right on this- guess a squirrel does occasionally find a nut lol!
My first stalk was on a bedded springbuck- for which I did not take on my first Serapa trip 2 years ago. CJ Claasens, my trusty PH whom I used 2 years ago as well and my cameraman Chris Esterhuizen (who films for Razor Dobbs and Steve Scott) of Jongosi Media spotted him bedded down in one of the semi-open areas. BTW- this is a HUGE piece of advice I must give while thinking of it- if you have not ever had your hunt professionally filmed, well ladies and gents, spend the extra cash (since you're already dropping a few to several thousand bucks anyway) and have your damn safari filmed!!!! Steve and I (Steve filmed a few of our other clients hunts with the Sony Handycam) do film ourselves with the SONY as well as GoPro, but I had met Chris (who is an absolute giant of a man muscle wise- his biceps are larger than the diameter of a telephone pole) on the previous trip to Serapa while he was filming for Steve Scott of The Safari Hunter's Journal on Sportsman's Channel (Mr. Scott has become a good friend as well to me now)- Chris had an opening in his schedule (he also has 2 other filmers for him) so he was able to accomodate me to film my hunt. I CAN'T SPEAK MORE HIGHLY OF CHRIS AND HIS COMPANY JONGOSI MEDIA!!!!! For those that want his contact info or any other information on him or Serapa, please PM me. So I reiterate- higher a damn cameraman- you won't be disappointed!!!... I digressed lol.... So we made the stalk on the bedded springbuck by crawling several meters and wham- the .308 did the trick! Trophy #1 down.
Celebratory beers commence (that will as you have already read, be a general theme thruought the trip)- I've already had to do some extra running since being home when not at work or catching up on sleep. We had a great meal. And now for Day 2- also, one of the clients (who is a great shot with his bow back home I might add) missed a gemsbok. Not sure if it was Buck Fever or what- but he was disappointed around the campfire. I told him to keep his chin up. At the time I was unaware just how much he and most of the other clients would have great difficulty with their bowhunting sits in the blinds. I'm not going to point fingers, etc, but they really came to realize just how tough and sneaky these animals truly are.. Well, back to the story- Day 2 consisted of spot and stalking a herd of zebra. I shot a great looking female there 2 years ago (didn't have a bit up neck from fighting the other stallions so is about to made into a pedestal) but wanted a stallion for a rug. After a 2 1/2 hour game of cat and mouse- those of you that have hunted zebra before know how it goes, well the .308 connected again (as always). Didn't go far and Trophy #2 in the books. Beers...
The nightly activities consisted of shower and clean-up (and for those that haven't been or seen pictures of Serapa- well it's a must) followed by fantastic cuisine, RSA wine, Castle Lite, etc. Again, to each his own vice. Chris, CJ and I (since Chris has a particular affinity for Jack Daniels- hell, that's one of his tattoos on his monstrous arms)- we would always take a shot of JD to toast the day's success and wishing for a great tomorrow. Can't beat the lodge and cabanas there. Anywhere. And I dare you to try... (BTW- it's ranked as one of the Top 500 places in the world to stay). If looking to book there, you can get ahold of me and I can get you in touch or also give a shout to @PhoenixPhil on here- he'll hook you up!!
So, Day 3 and 4 consisted of me (well, let's face it, not so much me) and CJ and our trackers helping out one of the clients who switched over from using his bow on a buff (he made 3 great but ultimately unsuccessful stalks previously) to one of Jacques Spamer's rifles- a .416 Ruger I believe. Steve was filming the shot taken previously the night before- the bull was running at an angle and they were somewhat surprised by this- the client made the shot which we all thought was in the brisket on the video feed rewind. Well folks, it wasn't... Once Bushee, the best damn tracker on the continent, was able to see it bedded down in a bush 900 yards off- and I'm not kidding- 900 yards!!! We all put together our means and helped the guy out tracking that wounded bull. It was a roller coaster of a ride (doing 140 km/hr in the back of the Land Cruiser) across the desert playing leap frog with the bull until we finally won (I swear I nearly bounced out 4 times). The client made 2 great shots and down he went. Come to find out, the original shot was back in the gut- for some reason it didn't bleed much which made everyone scratch their heads a bit but funnier things can happen I guess. The wound was starting to fester- I'd say a few more days and the bull would have been to sick to think about living out his life in Africa anymore...
Day 5 was truly special- was able to make a fantastic stalk on 2 eland bulls (we had been given the slip twice before after freaking kilometer after kilometer of trekking them) that were old and clever. Chris and I even sat down for over an hour while CJ kept trying to figure out a way to sneak up on them downwind. Well, at least he was trying to figure how to sort it out most of the time- one of the glassing missions was more to go take a leak in the bushes more than anything else lol. So we finally made a plan and went downwind slowly. Thought we'd have to go further and were standing scratching our heads when Chris, in the back, said- $#@! look- the 2 bulls stood up out in the clearing and started off but then I guess didn't know what we were so the sticks went up and boom- the .375 270 grain in the shoulder. He ran, and ran, and ran- since he was with the other bull who kept leading him on. We followed the spoor approx 150 yards and then got Focker (yes that truly is the fox terriers name- but for the AH site, I spelled it more proper) to go chase him down. We hopped on the Cruiser and away we went for another wild ride (felt like Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom- you know, when they're going on that railway?!)- got him in my sites again and made the shot. Perfect bull. Perfect horns. Old bull. Sweet!!
One of Serapa's trademark things to do is the "Bush Lunch" by one of the water holes for the traditional braai. We had just put the eland down so we were running a lil late- which I was okay with since they just finished the "shit-spitting" contest. Yes folks, you read correctly. I tried my hand 2 years ago and lost miserably so me not participating this time did not soil my enjoyment of the trip any. But the others had fun. I think Pule Claasens won. CJ, Pule's older bro, won 2 years ago. Must be the genetics. Or too much hot air in their bodies/lungs. Love those guys! The food was delicious and had time to reflect while lounging by the water in the old african safari chairs. Great time with great people.
Day 6 and 7 was Red Hartebeest followed by Waterbuck days, respectively. You guessed it, we'd spot them and made the stalk. The hartebeest I spoke of early on in this review- again, .308 = Tack Driver!!! The waterbuck (this S.O.B. had given us the slip thrice now- I was getting a lil perturbed) was a fine specimen- first shot at 100 yards in the pumphouse, followed him up- AT 6 YARDS!!! He was about to make his stand on us (yes- plains game do sometimes charge- it's real people) from behind a bush when my 2nd shot made him think otherwise.
We were very fortunate to be there for the witnessing of the Blood Moon (I think as a token of our success) on the last night at Serapa after being entertained and sang to by the local tribesman. This is one of the best parts folks! I even learned prior to the trip the words to the song "Shosholosha"- so I joined in. A lil Castle Lite can go a long way in correcting the stage fright lol.
Time for departure from Serapa. Boo!!!! Me no like to think about going home... But we had to leave- shuttles back to JoBurg left at 2am- yep- that's right, 2am. The 6 hour drive seemed to be shorter in this direction tho. The group of clients who flew Emirates went well before us so we made it back to Afton House for a bit and then made the Delta 201 home. FYI- the flight home was the first time (and I've been on that flight a few times) that I did NOT wear my running calf compression sleeves. MISTAKE!!! After I woke up from a long snooze, my feet were swollen big time!!! And I'm in great shape!! So another piece of advice- wear calf compression sleeves!!!
So, in closing, I can't speak more highly of AAA Serapa Safaris- it's owner Yolande Reyneke; it's staff- Francois Steyn (and family to Yolande); the PH's- CJ for me and others for the remaining clients; and the trackers, skinners, wait staff, etc. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend looking up Serapa for your next African safari adventure -that's my plug
.On a separate post, I'll upload more pics as they are currently on my phone and not the laptop.
