osne
AH member
Here is the hunting report from my long awaited first Cape Buffalo safari, which took place in November 2020 in Limpopo just after South Africa had started to open up from the strict Covid lock-downs. I hunted with Ernest Dyason and Spear Safaris and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice of outfitter and PH.
The hunting experience was out of this world, and after the hunt I spent many days and evenings re-living the memories at the keys of my laptop, typing a full article and selecting pictures I had taken – an effort which later resulted in a 10 page story published in African Hunting Gazette (see link at the end of this post)
THE TRIP
As many of you have surely experienced, flying in times of Covid is not exactly a smooth travel experience. But all things considered, the trip itself went very well. I flew with Ethiopian Air, and all worked out fine despite the somewhat over ambitious customs procedures in Addis Abeba where the rifle had to be collected, displayed for a number of customs officers, and re-checked again.
I had pre-booked a private shuttle from Johannesburg for the 3 hour drive to Limpopo. The service offered by Kham Shuttle Coaches was excellent. Once arrived in Limpopo, the coach driver dropped me off in Polokwane where my PH, Ernest Dyason, picked me up in his Land Cruiser and drove me to the camp. We arrived at Spear Safaris Bush Camp about 90 minutes later, where the fire was burning and cold beers and assorted snacks awaited us.
THE CAMP
The Bush Camp that Spear Safaris have in Limpopo is a great place, very authentic in style and perfectly comfortable while not luxurious – just the way I wanted it. All the staff were very kind and pleasant people, and I particularly noted that Ernest and his wife Marita runs a very friendly team with several key members whom they have worked with for decades. This was evident from the first rate collaboration between everyone, in camp and out in the field.
THE HUNT
This was my third African hunting safari, and the first where I hunted Dangerous Game. Over the course of my week with Ernest in the field, we hunted long and hard every day. By the end of the safari we had managed to take two buffalo, a cow and a magnificent bull.
I will not write a lengthy report of the hunt itself here, but rather share with you the link to African Hunting Gazette (Summer Issue, 2021) where the full story is published on pages 42-51:
https://cloud.3dissue.net/28329/28290/29334/57907/index.html
FINAL REMARKS
I am very happy to recommend Ernest and Marita Dyason, for their top quality approach to everything from administrative planning to the actual hunting experience, as well as logistics, food and everything else that is needed for a successful hunting safari. I truly enjoyed every minute of it, from our first connections over phone and email to our personal interaction in the bush. I am looking much forward to future hunting opportunities with Spear Safaris, hopefully in one of the other countries where Ernest is also hunting (Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe for example). Next time around I think we will be hunting buffalo again, and I’m hoping that we will also be stalking hippo on land.
Feel free to message me if you want to know more about Spear Safaris or ask me questions about my hunting experience with them!
The hunting experience was out of this world, and after the hunt I spent many days and evenings re-living the memories at the keys of my laptop, typing a full article and selecting pictures I had taken – an effort which later resulted in a 10 page story published in African Hunting Gazette (see link at the end of this post)
THE TRIP
As many of you have surely experienced, flying in times of Covid is not exactly a smooth travel experience. But all things considered, the trip itself went very well. I flew with Ethiopian Air, and all worked out fine despite the somewhat over ambitious customs procedures in Addis Abeba where the rifle had to be collected, displayed for a number of customs officers, and re-checked again.
I had pre-booked a private shuttle from Johannesburg for the 3 hour drive to Limpopo. The service offered by Kham Shuttle Coaches was excellent. Once arrived in Limpopo, the coach driver dropped me off in Polokwane where my PH, Ernest Dyason, picked me up in his Land Cruiser and drove me to the camp. We arrived at Spear Safaris Bush Camp about 90 minutes later, where the fire was burning and cold beers and assorted snacks awaited us.
THE CAMP
The Bush Camp that Spear Safaris have in Limpopo is a great place, very authentic in style and perfectly comfortable while not luxurious – just the way I wanted it. All the staff were very kind and pleasant people, and I particularly noted that Ernest and his wife Marita runs a very friendly team with several key members whom they have worked with for decades. This was evident from the first rate collaboration between everyone, in camp and out in the field.
THE HUNT
This was my third African hunting safari, and the first where I hunted Dangerous Game. Over the course of my week with Ernest in the field, we hunted long and hard every day. By the end of the safari we had managed to take two buffalo, a cow and a magnificent bull.
I will not write a lengthy report of the hunt itself here, but rather share with you the link to African Hunting Gazette (Summer Issue, 2021) where the full story is published on pages 42-51:
https://cloud.3dissue.net/28329/28290/29334/57907/index.html
FINAL REMARKS
I am very happy to recommend Ernest and Marita Dyason, for their top quality approach to everything from administrative planning to the actual hunting experience, as well as logistics, food and everything else that is needed for a successful hunting safari. I truly enjoyed every minute of it, from our first connections over phone and email to our personal interaction in the bush. I am looking much forward to future hunting opportunities with Spear Safaris, hopefully in one of the other countries where Ernest is also hunting (Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe for example). Next time around I think we will be hunting buffalo again, and I’m hoping that we will also be stalking hippo on land.
Feel free to message me if you want to know more about Spear Safaris or ask me questions about my hunting experience with them!
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