SOUTH AFRICA: KZN South Africa Pongola Boela Bekker Safaris October 2022

Frederik

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Ok lets start with normal Info.

Outfitter: Boela Bekker Safaris
PH: Boela Bekker
Area: Pongola Northern Zululand South Africa
Animals seen: Impala, warthog, nyala (Tons of them), giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, common duiker, red duiker, bushpig (daylight), white rhino, common reedbuck, bushbuck, crocodile.
Animals not seen but resident: Kudu, cape buffalo
Birds: Many exotic birds like Crowned Guinea Fowl, Loeries and other colourful ones.
Dates 5-9 October 2022

Animals hunted: Red Duiker
Rifle used: 375 H&H Musgrave K98 with 270gr Impala solids at 2500 fps.

Background on the hunt, I organised another hunt for a friend of mine from the UK and he wanted to shoot management or meat animals only no trophies as he has enough and just wanted to have fun. So there was a package put together for a certain budget to allow for a bunch of impala, warthog and nyala to be hunted with a day of Tiger fishing added in.

I tagged along for a few days Wed to Sunday and picked up my friend from the OR Tambo and headed to northern Natal on the road. Our drive took a bit longer than anticipated and we arrived after sunset. The farm is 4000 acres and a bit more 30% mountain and the rest rolling hills and flat areas. Hidden behind some sugar cane farms and away from any roads or nearby settlements.

As I was going to KZN I took a chance and asked Boela to arrange me a Red Duiker permit in the hope to have a crack at a good one to add to my tiny animal trophies.

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From the night and the lighted areas around the lodge we might as well been in Mozambique or in the Selous Tanzania. The lodge neatly built over a seasonal stream and a salt block with animals visiting at night. October is hot the next day would see Temperatures climb to 41 degrees Celcius (105.8 F).
Sleeping quarters very neat and tidy with large ensuite bathroom and shower aircon was much needed and enjoyed although Escom at Electrictity Load shedding in the middle of the night around 1 am.

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White spotted Gecko.


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The next morning we got up and I took some photos of the lodge before the sun was getting too high.

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A good cup of coffee or two and a light breakfast we headed to the shooting range my frind would borrow rifles a 30-06 Ruger M77 and a 243 Win Winchester.
I double checked my zero with the 375 H&H to make sure its spot on at 75 meters and it was.

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The Main premier room was adjacent to the lodge including fridge and spa tub while the other chalets were situated left of the above photo on the green lawn. Every morning there would be nyala and crowned quinea fowl on the lawn.

The impala were skittish but were plentifull and the bush had green leaves startting up again so it was very thick. We stalked into a waterhole and found 3 young warthog boars perfect for the pot and my friend shot one that dropped in its tracks with the 30-06 and the ice was broken with the first animal down.

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First animal down with a perfect shot.

On our way back to the lodge for lunch my friend excecuted another perfect shot on a beautiful nyala ewe with a neat skin.

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With that day being so hot and have had a small breakfast the light lunch served was just perfect and good to eat.

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That afternoon we would split up and I would sit and see if we could get a shot at a red duiker and my friend to go out and sort out some impala.
So setting out and finding a good spot just after 3 pm we were ready to sit untill dark and waited.
We were sitting across a row of wild fig trees next to the seasonal stream and with the cover the trees gives nothing much was growing underneath it and made it an open area to spot the dainty duikers.

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The row of wild fig trees on the oppsosite side and could call for a shot out to 140 meters which I didn't anticipate to be that long expecting max range around 70 meters.

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Fana, the tracker sitting next to me we were ready and Boela sitting about 30 meters further up to spot any duikers from his side. Boela was sitting in another clearing although smaller but had direct contact with us by hand held radio and so we waited.

It was very boring to be honest as there was no action at all as the day was so hot nothing moved and I decided if the time hits 5pm I'm going to use my whistel caller that has worked brilliantly before to call in duikers.
Five o clock came and I called a bit with no reaction already I thought with the moon being almost full and the heat the animals was going to come out much later and the reason why I had no reaction to the call.

About 5:20pm I spotted a red duiker about 100 meters out she gave me a good look and showed me that she did not own a proper scrotum and I kept an eye on her just in case her male counterpart would appear. On the same time a troop of monkeys came in as well slowly moving from our left to our right while the duiker ewe was feeding.

I called again and was shocked that only the monkeys showed interest looking at us but the ewe not even picking up her head. The ewe vanished behind the lower branches and I could not see her anymore while the troop of monkeys where just opposite of us playing and feeding.

Then around 5:40 pm Boela called me in a hurry I moved over there as quietly as I could and he told me he saw and excellent ram that was feeding with an ewe. As soon as Boela showed me the ewe the monkeys spotting us went beserk and some crowned guinea fowl followed and took our duikers with them.

Well we thought now we know where to sit tomorrow and hopefully the duikers would follow the same route. We headed over back to Fana the tracker when he showed us a duiker and it was an ewe, she spotted us and ran off. With nothing better to do we just sat and waited for darkness.

As if done by magic suddenly another duiker appeared range was 67 meters and Boela confirmed it was a ram as he could see both scrotum and horns. He first walked down to the stream bed and I was almost ready for the shot when he turned away from us. I didn't want to risk a shot from the back to hit the skull in front he then turned broadside for a fleeting moment but again I was not confident on the shot and then walked up and I was fearing he would dissapear behind the lower branches of the fig trees.

Then he stopped and turned frontal to us feeding this was it now or never he moved his head to the side and I fired and I could see him dropp with the recoil.
Boela, got super exited next to me and I was just shocked that I pulled it off it's a very small target at 67 meters frontal shot. But I made it and my red duiker was down what a huge relief.
My heart was beating extremely hard before the shot it was a tense moment but confidence in my 375 H&H and my shooting skills helped.

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Red Duiker, ram measuring 2 and 7/8" with the fig trees in the backgorund note the lack of other ground cover bushes.

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Boela helping me to tick another box and a new trophy species for me.

Just a footnote the photos let it look much lighter than what it was but the camera on my Galaxy A53 is brilliant for night mode or low light photos.

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Old warrior of a ram with the left horn worn down and the ridges almost smooth.
At the shot the duiker must have turned his head back a bit and I hit him on the side of the lower jaw might be a bit of damage on the skull itself but that will tell a story.
The bullet performed brilliantly with calibre size entry hole with its cutting edge and exit as well at the back leg.

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No, its not Cameroon but I just wanted to have this cool picture with Fana the tracker.

We headed back to camp for small celebration and heard that my friend had a missed a shot on an impala ram.
The weather was chaging with howling winds and we were worried about the next days tiger fishing and we could not book another day as the boat charter was fully booked.

Hoping for the wind to calm down and a brilliant dinner again we went to bed to rise early the next day to hit the water at 7 am.

Part 2 of report and Tiger Fishing to follow.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Excellent report and waidmannsheil @Frederik ! Well done on a great old duiker, they are beautiful little animals :)
 
Well done Frederik! Enjoyed reading the story... Glad you used your 375. Would you have used the 7x57 if you had it? Or rather the "traditional" way?

While you were hunting I was at Cape Vidal for a beach/snorkeling holiday... your hunt and the "million" tame red duikers at Cape Vidal makes it very tempting..
 
Nice hunt report and congrats on your Duiker! Must have been a challenge though hunting in 106F?
 
Well done Frederik! Enjoyed reading the story... Glad you used your 375. Would you have used the 7x57 if you had it? Or rather the "traditional" way?

While you were hunting I was at Cape Vidal for a beach/snorkeling holiday... your hunt and the "million" tame red duikers at Cape Vidal makes it very tempting..
No, think the 375 would still be my choice although I collected the 7x57 yesterday !!!!!
How was that wind on Thursday night???
 
Thanks all, yes it was warm but just sitting and when it slowly cools down is not so bad.
Luckily there was a wind all the time in Pretoria last week it was 38C with no wind and the much higher alitude that was hot.
 
Congratz! the little guys are such a fun and challenging hunt. I have my last three to plan for in 2024.
 
Well done.
It is not surprising that you hit an unintended part of the little guy. They are constantly moving.
 
Very nice ram. They are rather small and a frontal shot.... Well I'd say great shooting. Congrats
Bruce
 
Congrats, that´s a nice one !
 
Very nice Ram, congratulations on a well placed shot on a very small target. Thanks for posting.
 
Part 2 Tiger Fishing and some more.

So my hunt was over and I could not be happier with the red duiker old worn down and in its natural habitat.

As I said on the part 1 Thusrday night the wind started to howl and blow crazy so much so that we could not enjoy the fire by the fireplace. We were booked for a whole day on Jozini dam on the reserve side for fishing with a local charter guide.

We asked to move to Saturday but he was fully booked and on Sunday I had to head back to Pretoria/Home to start work again on Monday.

Up at 5am we had a small and easy breakfast could only do 1 cup of coffee time was limited and I drink my coffee black so did not have enough time to cool down. Did manage a stunning photo from the deck of the lodge though.

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I could enjoy coffee in this paradise like this everyday very easily and never get bored.

So off we were to the Swaziland Borderpost which is also close to the entrance of the park where we would get our charter. We met Tony our guide on his boat and off we went to a specific spot on the dam. While cruising we were trolling with two rods this time of year the big tigers come in from the dark deep waters of the dam to come closer to the shallows waiting for rain to spawn.

They don't really feed but are very aggresive when bait or lures goes past them Tony was explaining the rules of engagement and patterns of the tigers and in 30 minutes or so we knew this man knows the dam the behaviour of the fish and we were in for an adventure.

But he also warned us that the weather would pick up as it got hotter so we needed to make the best of the time we had early. With one missed hit only while were trolling we ended up in a bay and got anchored. Tony swapped the lures for live bait and we waited for the action.

On the shoreline was a croc about 8 foot some warties and nyala with lots of bids flying to their different destinations overhead.

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A big lodge on the hill overlooking the dam.

This is also the time to tell you hunters that I have never caught a tiger fish before so I was very exited and have heard of a lot of other fisherman that somedays you catch nothing. With our limited time I was holding thumbs.

We saw action on the live bait and Tony replaced the missing now eaten up live bait when that new bait hit the water it was a sweet sound of a reel letting line out for a hungry tiger. I let him have enough line and then set the hook.

The tiger was on and I could feel he was diving only the next moment like a torpedo bursting through the water and leaping while shaking his head. The trick is to keep the line tenssioned and not giving slack for the Tiger to remove the hook.

Then my friends bait go hit and we were both on while I bullied or tried to bully the tiger closer to the boat Tony went over to help my friend. His tiger sped right to the boat and with him not reeling in fast enough it unhooked itself and all eyes were back on me.

The tiger kept diving to find structure under water to get free but I kept him up and he came closer to the boat while jumping out the water once again. A few dives next to the boat later and he was netted my first Tiger fish ever.

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At just over 4 pounds he was a respectable fish with very sharp teeth and he gave me a good fight for those who haven't experienced it yet he fought like a 8 pound Largemouth bass.

A couple of photos later we let him go and baited up again.
My friend just could not be quick enough to bully them in as he has never fished bass or tiger before that needs quick reeling and lost another 3.

Then it all went quiet and me moved to a different spot with no action also while moving again we were trolling again and I missed a hit but hit the second one solid and passed it on to my friend who finally landed his tiger although half the size of mine it was still a tiger and worthwhile.

We then moved to our last spot of the morning and the wind and swells started to pick up unhooking us twice from our anchoring point and called it a day. By the time we were tied to the jetti the waves was almost a foot and half. But success was there with 10 hits and two fish landed for the day while the other charters didnt seem to be doing as good as we did.

Proving again that Tony is your man if you want to hook a Tiger.

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Scale reading 1.84kg or just over 4 pounds of my fish.

We headed back to the lodge for lunch and then an afternoon session of impalas.

For the rest of the time I was there I concentrated on enjoying nature and helping out on a stalk or two. Got some cool photos and then Saturday night we had a braai/BBQ on a dry bed of sand which was stunning with the full moon and night sounds.

So as a final word enjoy the photos and make a plan to visit Zululand it's different and special.
Oh, and 5 stars again for Boela Bekker Safaris.

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Rhino mud bath.

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There was always action close to this waterhole

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Just try and touch me!

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Bright Full moon evening.

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Best viewing TV ever.

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Till next time.
 

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Loved the report @Frederik ! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the tiger fish too!
 
Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 
Great story & trip!
 
Great report! Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 

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