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!