Bushpigs move during the day too

Although this is a very rare sight for human eyes, not because our bushpigs don't move during the day, but rather because the cover they prefer as habitat is so extremely dense.

During the day, bushpigs actually move about all the time in the very thicket habitat they frequent.On Blaauwkrantz much of this natural habitat remains in tact.This habitat is a very dense thicket that is not very tall but basically a canopy that comes right down to the ground.These almost scrub-like evergreen plants comprise of a wide variety of plants,bushes and short trees.

Visibility is restricted to one or two yards on a flat area, explaining why actually seeing them inside this habitat is almost impossible.
The reason why we perceive them to be nocturnal is that that's when they muster enough courage to venture from their bush-capsule into open spaces.

The picture above shows a rather brave pig...not an unusual occurrence on Blaauwkrantz due to them receiving relative respite due to the trophy value bestowed on them now since the early nineties.
Having said this, bushpigs are opportunistic feeders and are sometimes responsible for livestock losses on Blaauwkrantz.These specific pigs then become known as "goatkillers" which will receive attention in another blog entry..

Hunting brings much to SA economy | Fin24

Hunting brings much to SA economy | Fin24

This link simply reiterates the value that the management of wildlife on private land by amongst others, hunting delivers not only in the conservation of species and habitats but to the rural economies too.Hunters give an economic value to wildlife that would otherwise mostly be seen as competition to domesticated livestock.

Congratulations and thank-you hunters, for being an important part of this magnificent achievement!

Bushpig wrap 2012

Lucas Brendel,South Africa.Nov.2012

Jose Sodiro,Argentina.Sept.2012

Fihl Jensen,Denmark.Sept.2012



Dr Ted Pawlias,Illinois.August 2012

Once again Blaauwkrantz proved to be a leader in the world of bushpig conservation and their hunting in 2012.Undersatnding their true hunting value has been a key ingredient in this feat.

By protecting their habitat with fervent vigour, we are ensuring that Blaaukrantz is a bushpig destination second to none in South Africa, if not Africa when hunters look to target one of these elusive and intelligent creatures as a trophy amongst an array of other privately owned species.

Congratulations to the above hunters amongst others who endeavoured to successfully take these excellent bushpig trophies in 2012.

The old adage of "location,location,location" is most certainly applicable when targeting one of these underrated beasts.

Best Wishes

As predicted our warthogs are getting bigger...

Last year we hunted the record warthog at Blaauwkrantz,this year that record was broken again.The lucky hunter was Jack Manning from Utah who now has the honour of the Blaauwkrantz record with tusks just shy of 15 inches!

As I predicted last year we will keep seeing larger pigs as 10 years ago the warthog started making their remarkable recovery  around here just like so many other species had already done thanks to our tried and tested habitat preservation and incentivised conservation principles.

Although a number of impressive warthog trophies have been taken this year, below Jack's Monster are some of the other outstanding tuskers taken in 2012 so far.

                                 Jack Manning from Utah with his 14-12/16" monster

                             Debbie Gentry from Texas with her 12-4/16" tusker

                               Karl Evans with his 12-4/16" bomber

                                Greg Kleinig from Australia with his 13-10/16" hog

Having said all this,remember finding one of these tuskers is never easy.It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of luck!!

Bushpig Excitement

This is the scene that plays itself out when an early evening bushpig is brought into camp at Blaauwkrantz.Even though plenty pigs are taken each year a trophy bushpig still generates an unique excitement, probably because they are rarely seen yet we all know that they abundant in the Blaauwkrantz thickets...
Congratulations to Travis Erwin from Texas who could share this special baited hunt with his daughter Hope and PH Francois.

Safe hunting,

Targeting The Blaauwkrantz bushpigs are proving their worth

                                            

MORE 2012 bushpig successes:
Lee Anderson May 2012;
Jack Manning May 2012;
Bianca Rudolph May 2012;
Ray and Zak Cadiz May 2012.

As we all know bushpigs are relatively widespread in South Africa, yet targeting these animals on a single safari remains a real challenge.

At Blaauwkrantz with the abundance of impenetrable thickets things were no different and dogs were the only way of realistically killing a bushpig other than a very rare chance encounter.

Over the years I saw that the big pigs were mainly eluding us by using the dog method.The baiting method was the other option and over the last seven years I have been refining this method and I am sure that there are many things that I will still discover but we have come a long way in realising what it really takes to consistently bait trophy sized bushpig.
Getting a bushpig to bait isn't too difficult but the hard part is placing the hunter in the right position at the right time.Apart from the actual cost of getting the bushpigs to an attractive bait the cost of studying and analysing their patterns at the bait is time consuming and complex too.
Prospective bushpig hunters need to understand this.

Put simply: It's much easier to simply set out hunting a bushbuck or kudu than a bushpig!

Good hunting.

Huntress from Austin,Texas,sets the bar at Blaauwkrantz!

During June I had the pleasure of hunting with Mark and Diane Simpson from Austin,Texas on their third safari to Blaauwkrantz since 2007.
On that first safari Mark and Diane managed to video bushpigs on a night drive.This created quite some excitement in camp that night as seeing bushpigs is a rarity and filming them even more so.
On their second trip here in 2009 whilst Diane was targeting nyala we discussed the possibility of her hunting bushpig.

The plan was hatched for their next safari.

Finally they arrived in 2012 and we could set about our mission to get Diane to hunt a big bushpig.Various baits were prepared and one bait indicated that the pigs were arriving early in the afternoon already.We waited for the perfect afternoon of their 7 day hunt  when the wind would be in our faces from the blind's position and arrived there at 2pm already....something that has never happened before as we usually take in position just before dark!
We hadn't been waiting more than an hour when the sounder arrived.We had to wait quite a while for the largest bushpig,a boar,to present himself for a shot.Diane was patient and made a perfect shot with her Weatherby .257 loaded with 110 grain Barnes X's to kill the 160lbs boar at 53 yards.Not only was she the first Blaauwkrantz lady hunter to shoot a bushpig but the earliest ever taken at a bait here too!
Diane then went on to hunt for warthog and managed to shoot a very nice boar too, making a perfect shot at 175 yards.
So Diane set the bar for being the first lady to complete the "Blaauwkrantz Hogslam" too.It was a honour and a privilege to hunt with "Bush Queen" Diane who understands that determination and respect for the animals would be the key to fulfill her goal in a single safari.

Coincidentally Mark manged to get it all on film again.Well done to the both of you!

Angora goat farmer from Rocksprings,Texas,shoots record bushpig at Blaauwkrantz!

Jimmy Greer from Rocksprings,Texas, made a tricky shot right at dark on the 30th May 2012 to successfully take this monster 97kg or 213lbs bushpig.This broke the previous record set in 2011 by Jay brasher from Utah by a whopping 14lbs!(6,3kg)!

Jimmy shot a large sow on his previous trip to Blaauwkrantz in June 2008 and was looking for a boar to complete his bushpig pair.

Six pigs emerged from the extremely dense vegetation to the carefully prepared bait.Jimmy and I could clearly distinguish this monster amongst them and the 300 Win Mag 180 grain Barnes X did the rest at 50 yards once Jimmy had settled the Zeiss cross hairs on him and had squeezed the Hill Country Rifle trigger.

Bushpig was Jimmy's priority on his 8 day safari and although we hunted for bontebok, caracal, blue duiker and porcupine,Jimmy understood that targeting bushpig was in a league of its own.The first evening stakeout at another bait had the pigs come in and in the moonlight we could see them milling about as we were preparing for the shot at a monster boar there too,mysteriously they disappeared into the night.What spooked them is still a mystery...I always say that these bushpigs have a sixth sense.Anyway we headed to another bait a couple evenings later when the wind was good and this time luck was on our side.
Coincidentally Jimmy is also an angora goat farmer and owns a large ranch near Rocksprings,Texas.This town is the mohair capital of the USA although,as in our region,mohair production has dwindled in favour of wildlife ranching there too.

It was great to hunt with Jimmy and old friend Ole Bardy from Helwig Hunting Services, Rocksprings again.

Congratulations Jimmy!

Quick bushpig wrap of first fortnight of the 2012 season

                                                                Christiaan Brendel

                                               Bert Major,the author and tracker Jeffrey404

The first fortnight of the 2012 season is done and dusted and once again Blaauwkrantz has also showed it's mettle in the bushpig stakes with no fewer than five bushpigs harvested.Our principle of of preserving natural habitat is the cornerstone of our conservation initiative at Blaauwkrantz.This is true for all our wild species.

As everyone knows bushpigs are not a specie that is taken for granted when targeting them,but the following hunters had success:
The first was Christiaan Brendel from Cape Town who also shot a warthog within 12 hours of hunting his bushpig to set a new Blaauwkrantz Hogslam record for doing it in the shortist time ever.Christiaan completed a Hogslam in April 2011 too.Congratulations!
Second was Bert Major from Oklahoma.Bert incredibly shot a nice boar in broadlight at one of the baits.Great initiative taken there by Bert as I was still carrying gear to the blind when the pig came to the bait.
Jim Gefroh from Colorada came for only a bushpig and was successful after initially attempting to do it with his flintlock muzzleloader and getting the pigs to within 30 yards,but alas it was not to be this time around.Jim's old buddy,Kim Stuart,from California shot a true "bomber" that weighed 81kg's.Kim has hunted Africa for almost twenty years and this was his first bushpig.Congratulations Kim!
Jim and Kim hunted at Blaauwkrantz for the first time in 2001.Jim shot a warthog in 2001 with his flintlock muzzleloader then and wanted to try complete the Hogslam with a flintlock too,you can guess what brought them back...!Jim said that he will be back to try again with his flintlock.But congratulations to Jim in completing his Hogslam anyway!

Dr Peter Bucklin also from the US hunted with PH Paul Smith and also took a bushpig, but with hounds as they had some difficulty at the baits.

Old hunting buddies,Jim Gefroh and Kim Stuart, with their bushpigs

There is still a lot of bushpig action ahead so watch this space...!

Watch a bushpig move - a master of stealth