SOUTH AFRICA: Safari For My Son With Balla Balla Safaris South Africa

[JES Adventures]

Sorry for the delay, been hunting hard and just took some time to download so here comes a few days.

The overnight flight to Joberg was smooth, only woke a couple of times when the pilot alerted to turbulence. My first time on the Airbus A380, it amazes me that the huge aircraft gets off the ground! The service on Air France continues to be first rate and I have been very pleased with them for my last three trips.

We arrived OR Tambo and cleared customs quickly, I'd say 15 minutes or so. Our flight to Polokwane was late afternoon so we rested and had some lunch before catching the plane. The last flight took less than an hour and Shawn Bird met us upon arrival. We were off to the Balla Balla camp in the Limpopo Province about 25 K's out of Louis Trichardt with took about an hour and a half.

It was dark when we arrived but the compound was well lit, nicely landscaped with very spacious chalet's made of local stone. Here we met Shawn's brother Alan who runs the South African operation for Balla Balla and sipped scotch by a welcoming fire. The weather is great here this time of year, comfortably cool in the night and not to hot in the midday. A nice meal and a short smoke by the fire and everyone was down early. My son Grant was feeling the effects of the travel and couldn't make it past eight!

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 1

Up at half past six today, we both slept like rocks. Coffee and rusks then we were off to the range for Grant to shoot the rifles. He would be using camp guns for this trip, a Blaser R93 in 300 Win Mag and a Brno in 7X57. He shot both rifles very well so after 2 shots with each we headed to the bush.

The property is in the Southpansberg Mountains and is very picturesque. Elevations varied quite a lot and the bush is very thick due to the Blessings of abundant rain this year. So, visibility is minimal and I can see that the hunt will be very challenging. The moon is full so the animals were active last night subsequently the morning hunt was a bit slow. We did see a group of Kudu cows with a bull Shawn estimated at 50" that we passed on. Later in the morning we spotted a nice Waterbuck bull but not quite mature enough to take. We rounded out the first hunt by seeing a couple of groups of Wildebeast, several Baboon and three different sets of Leopard tracks in the road. Shawn tells me the Southpansberg Range has a very healthy population of Leopard and could certainly sustain some hunting if the gov't would allow.

After lunch at camp we were back out for the afternoon hunt. We stalked up on a waterhole and spotted a very nice Waterbuck bull bedded down nearby. Just as we made our way to a small tree for Grant to set up for a shot a Kudu cow spotted us and barked. The bull was up but it was too quick for Grant to take the shot. We were off again, in search of Kudu, Nyala, Waterbuck and Mt. Reedbuck as our primary objectives.

We spotted one good Kudu bull while driving but he was quickly swallowed up by the bush. Another mature bull darted across the road in front of us late in the day. Considering the thickness of the bush, we saw a fair amount of game and had a wonderful day in the bush. Back to camp for a scotch and a shower. Dinner was excellent with beef steak and Kudu sausage done on the brie. Shawn and I finished off the evening by the fire, with cigars and port. Grant was off to bed early again, he's battling jet lag but I suspect he'll beat it tomorrow.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 2

We decided to head out at first light and if not successful by late morning we are going to sit in a hide overlooking a waterhole. With the moon full and up most of the night Shawn and I concluded that the game would most likely go to water late morning. We will pack a lunch today to stay in the hide through midday if need. But as all well laid plans go, it changed. Around 10 we got on a group of Kudu and spent some time on them. We determined the bull wasn't big enough so we carried on. He was in the high 40's and Shawn is holding out for something bigger. His property has lots of Kudu and he has hunted here for many, many years. So, he knows there are bulls over 50 its just a matter of time.

We stalked up on a water hole just after noon and a group of Waterbuck were there. Shawn quickly identified the bull as the same we missed our opportunity on yesterday. He placed the sticks, Grant was up on them quick and made the shot. Perfect as the bull jumped when the 300 went off so we gave him a bit before going to check for blood. We picked up the trail and followed up, the bull was down about 60 meters from where he was shot. A beautiful old bull and the first trophy of the trip. Grant was elated to say the least. After the photo session we were back to camp for lunch. The afternoon hunt was good, we saw Kudu, Wildebeast, Impala and of course several Waterbuck bulls that just stood and watched us drive by! Oh well, thats hunting.

We were back at it about half passed two and continued our search for Kudu. The afternoon hunt found us on the same routine, we would drive and spot game. It seems Kudu are going to be our nemesis this trip, we continue to see more Waterbuck, Impala, Wildebeast and Duiker but no shooter Kudu bulls. We arrived camp just after dark and enjoyed the fire, a brie of Impala backstrap served with scalloped potatoes, salad and malva pudding for desert. Not to forget an excellent South African wine to compliment the Impala steaks.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 3

A beautiful winter morning, cool but not cold with a bit of cloud cover. We were off in search of Kudu again. We drove to a valley that generally holds Kudu and walked for an hour or so glassing the hillsides. The wind picked up and was changing directions so it made any potential stalk difficult. We encountered one small group of Kudu with a bull of about 47-48 and passed. Back to the truck we carried on, saw a nice bachelor group of Impala and a trio of Warthog. Throughout the day we saw several Bush Duiker and Waterbuck. Balla Balla has many hides overlooking water points and is ideally suited for bowhunting. I told Shawn, in all my years of hunting in Africa I have never considered bowhunting. Well now I am convinced that this property offers outstanding opportunities for the bowhunter and I will be back in a couple of years for my first bowhunt. The afternoon hunt was slow, the full moon still affecting the game. Back to camp for another great brie followed by cigars and port then off to bed.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 4

This morning our primary objective is Bushbuck. After coffee and toast Alan collected us and we were off. The morning started off by seeing a group of Kudu cows with a bull in the upper 40's. As we continued we spotted Duiker, Impala and Kudu. By about 9:30 we spotted the first Bushbuck ram back in the shade, about 13" we estimated. We carried on and then spotted a Bushbuck ewe with a young one at her side. Alan said that the Bushbuck may start going to water as it was heating up. About 10:45 the tracker spotted two Bushbuck rams in the heavy bush. Grant was up and ready to shoot a nice ram 14"+ when the second ram stepped up. A massive old ram that dwarfed the first one. Grant got a quick shot off and dropped him in his tracks with a high spine shot. It was all he had as the grass and bush were very thick, typical of Bushbuck habitat. When we got to the ram we were all amazed at his mass. The tape finally put him at 16 1/2" with 9" bases! A grand old Bushbuck ram that would make anyone proud. We headed back to camp for breakfast then back out to call a Klipspringer and hunt Kudu. I told Grant, "thats the trophy of a lifetime and just made the trip, everything from here on
is a bonus".

We went back out after lunch and spotted an outstanding Waterbuck bull on a hillside about 300 yards away. He was wide and tall, pushing 30”. We sat by a waterhole for an hour and had a young Duiker ram come in. We walked a couple of K’s glassing the hillsides with no success.
The balance of the day spent at another hide overlooking a waterhole. We saw Waterbuck and Red Hartebeast but no Kudu – they continue to elude us. Back to camp for a shower and a drink. Tomorrow we are off after Gemsbok.

 

[spike.t]

It was hard for my 17 year old son Grant and I to believe that a year has passed since our 5 week Family Safari while we sat in the Air France lounge at Houston Intercontinental yesterday.

.....a year already.....you are joking.........

 

[cpr0312]

Nice bushbuck, congrats!

 

[Britt Beck]

Congrats. Can't wait to see more. Lifelong memeories being made.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats, good going so far...

 

[gillettehunter]

Need a pic of that Bushbuck. Sounds like a real stud! Congrats. Bruce

 

[BWH]

Loving it!!!!

 

[rinehart0050]

Nice bushbuck! He almost looks like a small nyala! Well done.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Great report, keep it coming!

 

[enysse]

Beautiful bushbuck, a trophy of a lifetime for sure! Congrats on the heavy waterbuck too!

 

[JES Adventures]

Sorry for the delay, just been enjoying myself in the evenings and not writing! First off, apologies and corrections on Grants Bushbuck. It was 16 1/2" long but only 6" bases not 9" as posted. Not sure if it was my bad eyes, over exhuberance, several Castle's or reading the tape upside down.

Anyhow, 16 1/2 x 6 is still one helluva Limpopo Bushbuck! Many thanks to Alan Bird

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 5



We met another PH that is a friend of the Bird's, Hermann Scheepes and John Phillipe on the road about half way to the farm we would hunt for Gemsbok. The property was about 100 K's from Louis Trichardt, out of the mountains in more level terrain with mixed acacia cover and grassland. Early on we got on to a herd of Gemsbok and began to track them. After we bumped the herd, they got wise and started moving in a serpentine pattern and with the thick cover it made it impossible to get a shot. We stayed with them for about an hour, bumping them several times before we decided to move on and find another herd. We drove for most of the morning spotting Kudu, Impala, Eland, Red Hartebeast, Warthog and a couple of Jackal.


As the sun reached its apex and the day heated up, we stopped for lunch and some rest. We were back at it around 2:30 and most of the game was up in the shade. As we drove, we spotted several groups of young Gemsbok, a few cows with calves but no mature bulls. The clocked ticked on and the day was coming to an end when we spotted a group of three bulls at about 200 yards. We all glassed the bulls and immediately identified a mature trophy. They moved slowly through the bush and it was obvious they knew we were there. It was well after 5 and the shadows long so the bulls were a bit more calm this time of day. Grant got into position and the bull stepped clear of the bush and he took a quartering shot. The bull bucked and ran but it was clear that he had made a good shoot. We went to the place where the bull was standing and quickly picked up blood. Hermann and John Phillipe stayed on the landcruiser while we tracked the bull. All of the sudden Hermann came running up and yelling - "look, look there he is, hurry look right there!" Alan, Grant and I started running and just as we rounded a bush there the bull was laying dead. Hermann had been standing up on the cruiser and started glassing the bush and he saw the bull dead so he decided to pull a joke on us. We all laughed after the prank, and had a great time taking photos catching a glimpse of the magical African sunset.

I had a Civet permit and we would have a look around this evening. The moon was full and just rising when we got into the bush. Not more than a half our into the hunt we were rounding the corner when both Hermann and I spotted some eyes back down the road - it was a Civet! It was moving slowly through the grass but I could make out the outline and I shot. The report was clear and the Civet lay dead. A beautiful old male and I was elated as I have wanted a Civet for more than 30 years of African hunting. No doubt it was the shortest night hunt I'd ever been on - but I wasn't complaining. It took nearly two hours to get back to camp so we ate a quick meal on the road. Back at camp it was straight to bed after a quick shower. Tomorrow we would be back at Hermann's to hunt Nyala and Kudu.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 6


It was an early day as we had an hour drive to Hermann's farm and wanted to be there at first light to hunt Nyala. Quickly we offloaded from the pickup on to Hermann's landcruiser and took off. Not fifteen minutes into the morning we spotted a nice bull sunning but chose to pass and look for a better bull. Within minutes we found a better bull, Grant's bull and he made an excellent shot with the 375. The bull jumped in the air, an obvious shoulder shot and didn't go more than 10 meters. A fantastic trophy with a beautiful cape, it is the classic South African trophy.

During the photo session, Hermann mentioned that there is a bull on his property that is orange, it looks like a cow with horns. I couldn't believe my ears, I had just asked Shawn and Alan if they had ever seen one when I got there last week. Ever since my first trip to Africa in the 80's when I saw a picture of an orange Nyala bull I was intrigued. I cant recall if it was Garry Kelly or Trevor Shaw of Zulu Nyala Safaris but one of them had taken an orange bull with a client. I asked Hermann if I could hunt for the bull and he said yes, much to my surprise. With color variants becoming so popular in South Africa I was sure the bull would be reserved as a breeder. Hermann said after 5 seasons the bull never produced a calf. So, at nearly 8 years old it was apparent he must be sterile. We spent some time looking for the bull but as the morning went on and heated up the Nyala headed to the thick bush and shade.


We would go to a new farm Hermann had just obtained hunting rights to for Kudu and a few other species. He said it had not been trophy hunted in several years and he has seen some exceptional animals. When we arrived it was midday and most of the game was in the shade, but visibility was good so we drove around and spotted game from the cruiser. A lone Impala ram was in shade of an acacia and we couldn't clearly see his horns. When we got off the rig and worked our way through the bush where we could see him clearly and he was incredible, 24"+ no doubt. Grant got into position and took a shot, the ram jumped in the air, quartering with a broken shoulder by the 375. An amazing Southern Impala at 25" - again, once in a lifetime trophy! In 31 years of hunting Southern Africa, it is the first 25" Impala I have ever seen. Everyone was elated and congratulating Grant. It was only 2 o'clock so we had the rest of the day to look for Kudu.

After loading the Impala we carried on in search of Kudu. We saw a large herd of Impala with another impressive ram. Driving not more than an hour we spotted 4 Kudu bulls together standing in the shade at about 250 meters. They had seen us so we slipped off the landcruiser and let it drive away while we ducked behind a bush. Once out of sight, the bulls slowly started walking in single file where we could get a good look at them. The first bull was nice, deep curls with points inward. The other three were nice but two not fully mature and one a bit small than the lead bull. Based on the direction they were walkiing, we checked the wind and made a plan to parallel them and try to close the distance. Finally, after about 20 minutes we were at about 200 meters so we stopped at an acacia and waited for the bulls to reappear. Five minutes or so passed and out stepped the lead bull. We followed him in his slow gait but he kept moving. Now he must be close to 225 meters as he slowed to a stop. Grant got steady, squeezed off the shot and you could hear the wallop of the bullet hitting. I could see the bull jump in the air, all four hooves off the ground and tail curled up. We watched him as he ran and staggered a bit, he came to a stop in some shade and we hurried closer. Now at about 175, Grant put another in him - the wallop was loud and the bull lunged forward and bailed up. When we walked up to him, we could now appreciate how thick the horns were. Grant was almost speechless now having taken three incredible trophies in one day. After the photo session Alan asked Hermann what he thought the bull would measure. I guessed 52, Alan 53 - he turned out to be 56" on the long horn and 54 on the short! We loaded the bull and I turned to Grant and said "In over 30 years of hunting Africa, I've never had a 25" Impala and a 56" Kudu on the cruiser at one time, this is a special day to be remembered". We headed back to camp for a nice meal and some celebratory cocktails. This was truly a Blessed Day in the bush with my son.

 

[Swazi Hunter]

nice hunting gents! lots of memories made!!!

 

[cpr0312]

Some nice looking trophies, congrats!

 

[cagkt3]

Wow, great day. Congrats!