Tuesday, December 29, 2015

2015 saw another successful bushpig season.










                                          Some of the 2015 highlights..

                             Bushpig success in 2015 at Blaauwkrantz.

Apart from a bumper year in general, this year Blaauwkrantz once again proved to be a leader in the bushpig stakes too. We harvested no fewer than 100 trophy kudu bulls from a population of at least 2000 and 18 trophy bushpigs from a very healthy population on the 90 000 acre private property. As far as I am aware there is no other private property in Africa that can boast such a combined success.
The principle of private ownership of land and wildlife has no match in the conservation world considering that these entities are compelled to be self-sustaining as well as have tax paying obligations. This model is in stark contrast to State controlled conservation efforts that need to manage on tax payer subsidies. South Africa’s policies of allowing conservation be subjected to the free market is a by no small measure, a revelation.

Monday, December 28, 2015

Dallas Safari Club President completes another Hogslam at Blaauwkrantz.



Dallas Safari Club President successfully completes the Blaauwkrantz Hogslam, for a third time.

Karl Evans, The Dallas Safaris Club President for 2015 returned to Blaauwkrantz with his wife,Rebecca, in November this year. Karl and Becky have hunted here since 2005 and it was great pleasure to have them return for a short summer safari. Conditions were hot but delightful for hunting, especially in the late afternoons when animals were peeling out of the thick cover to get to the open spaces after some good spring rains.
My bushpig baits were showing some good patterns too, and we decided to give the ‘Ghosts in the Darkness’ a go especially since the moon was waxing nicely too. We decided on a specific evening although the rain clouds were rolling in, there was a steady South Westerly breeze keeping our scent away from the bait. We waited quietly for 3 hours when finally the pigs made their appearance in the moonlight at the bait. The moon was obscured by the clouds getting heavier and even dropping rain on us in the ground blind. We identified the boar and Karl made an excellent shot with my 300 Win Mag dropping the pig in its tracks with a 180 grain bullet. Although the moonlight was compromised by the cloud, Karl could see the pig through my Zeiss 3-12 Scope with an illuminated reticule. A remarkable feat on its own.
Karl also shot a warthog to complete his Hogslam. He shot two kudu bulls and plenty cull kudu, ostriches  and impala on what was a delightful few days on Blaauwkrantz. My opinion on hunting in the hot summer months has changed somewhat in that the timing has become the key. Animals do not move much in the heat of the day between 9am and 4pm but those windows before and after are excellent times (bearing in mind that it daylight is all of 14 hours in summer). With the pool and our lodge this makes for some excellent relaxation time too!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Craig Boddington returns after 30 years, targets bushpig at Blaauwkrantz

In July this year the much revered and legendary writer, Colonel Craig Boddington, visited Blaauwkrantz for the third time in 30 years to to target the elusive bushpig. Not only did he successfully hunt a good boar in the waxing moonlight using his Leopold illuminated reticuled scope, but he also shot two magnificent East Cape Kudu and and a very nice Cape bushbuck. The Colonel also took a great old warthog to complete the Blaauwkrantz Hogslam. The stand out moment of the trip was when he commented that there are very few places in Africa that have actually improved in hunting quality over 30 years. This in my opinion is attributed to the private property principle that most of South Africa and Namibia ascribes to.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Texas bow hunter stalks bushbuck with his bow

Mr Nolan Venable managed to stalk a beautiful Cape bushbuck after they spotted it in a river bed and snuck up to it within 26 yards to successfully arrow the smallest member of the spiral horned family. He was using a Mathews "Hog Father" bow with a draw weight of 60lbs.His arrows are Easton,Full Metal Jackets with 125 grain fixed broadheads. Spot and stalk bow hunting on Blaawukrantz is extremely challenging and a competent bow hunter will do very well to bag a trophy in this manner on the average 6 day safari here.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

2015 San Angelo SCI Chapter Donated Hunt underway.


Apart from various local philanthropic initiatives, Blaauwkrantz Safaris also voluntarily donates to initiatives further afield. Donating to organisations like Safari Club International,Dallas Safari Club and various Chapters are in the interests of serving and protecting the rights of people to enjoy freedoms like being able to hunt and own firearms. These rights are continually being eroded by people who are opposed to individual freedoms and rights, and we are appreciative of organisations such as these that protect these liberties. They also play an integral part in marketing our outdoor industries. We currently have Mr Nolan Venable from Texas who bought our San Angelo Chapter Donated hunt in January. He is having a great hunt so far,enjoying the fantastic conditions to have taken bushbuck, steenbok and impressive kudu on his first day yesterday. I suspect he will have a great hunt further, as the conditions are almost paradise-like here with game being plentiful and abundant on our private property, which is flourishing thanks to our private conservation efforts we take so much pride in. Long live individual rights, and organisations that are helping to protect these.

Blaauwkrantz Bushpig update

2015 got off to a sqealing start with no fewer than six trophy bushpigs successfully harvested already.What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that this is a 100% success rate with all hunting clients that set out for these elusive creatures taking them. Early Janauary I guided Mr Christopher Sundtman on a short four day hunt and bushpig was on his list,he not only got his pig but several other impressive trohies too. In march we had Mr Benyi Boyd and his family from Panama here,his son Ben shot a bushpig and Benyi himself hunting two on this trip.In 2011 Benyi visited us twice and shot 6 bushpigs on those two safaris.Benyi Is the official Blaauwkrantz Bushpig King with now fewer than 8 of these anaimals under his belt. Congratulations Benyi! In early April Mr Dennis Hilling from Canada made an excellent shot in the waxing moon to shoot a very large bushpig.The sow weighed 185 lbs! I also managed to shoot a goat killing bushpig that was causing some problems amongst our domestic goats at a certain place.Bushpigs can be very destructive if they want to!Yet experience has taught me to effectively target these individuals.
The season has just begun in earnst, so hopefully there will more updates on bushpig hunting to follow! Good hunting.



Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"Tail-gaitin" with Ole Bardy

Each year after our Dallas Safari Club show, Bardy Helwig or Ole Bardy as we have become to affectionately know him over the years shows us some Texas hospitality and the tradional "tail-gate" party starts it off. After this we are treated to some of Dallas and Fort Worth's fine culinary attractions.Marbled rib-eye steak or delicios Mexican is a favourite.
We always attempt to reciprocate this kind hospitality not only with Ole Bardy and his family but with all our friends we have made over many decades of associations in foreign lands.

Ole Bardy, yours truly, Francois, Drew and Jan.

Trophy room visits in Texas






We always try to take some time and visit our clients when we travel to the USA for our annual marketing season in Januray and February.
We attend the Dallas Safari Club show, the Safari Club International in Las Vegas and the Mule Deer Foundation in Salt Lake City show each year.
In between these shows we always try to fit in a visit to some clients. Apart from enjoying the fantastic,warm hospitality our Americans hunters offer, viewing their trophy rooms is always a treat. Seeing the animals displayed is a great way to remember the hunt and to honour the species. This past January and February we visited Mr + Mrs Karl Evan's (2015 DSC President), Mr Doug and Debbie Gentry and Mr Randy and Linda Bell's trophy rooms, all in Texas. What a honour and pleasure.

Monday, April 13, 2015

More summer hunting

Adding to my previuos post,here is a picture of Mr Sundtman's excellent kudu taken at 4:50am on the 7th January 2015. It was barely daylight when we stalked this bull making his way back to the thickets in the Blaauwkrantz hills. The rest of the day turned out to be very hot (100 degrees Fahrenheit), but the animals are very active in the evenings near drinking points and open areas with acacia thorn trees in bloom, a favourite food of theirs at this time of the year. The late afternoons also become a good time to search for these big bulls.

Hunting Blaauwkrantz in the summer months with Blaauwkrantz Safaris

Traditionally our hunting months have been concentrated around Fall and Winter.The rut for most of the game coincides with late summer,fall up until mid June.(Southern hemisphere seasons are inverse to those in the Northern Hemisphere)

Before the rut starts in late summer which is in March,the wildlife group themselves in the breeding herds and bachelor males who congregate together and act like any group of bachelor men would....cruising around together and making themselves very visible.Now for predators and hunters this is a great time to surprise these show offs as they are fixated on each other most of the time.Sparring and full blown fights often pass their time as they wonder around until the first of the female antelope come on heat.

Most hunters often believe that hunting the rut is a good time to quarry for trophies,which is true,but I believe that searching for these bachelor groups makes things so much better: the bulls are all together.The heat can be an issue in the summer which is between November and March but this is avoided by hunting early morning and late afternoons when the animals are most active too.Days are much longer during these months, with up to five hours more daylight.Midday are spent at the lodge cooling down around the pool or having a siesta.


The other advantage of hunting the summer months is that there are relatively few other hunters around which is often as bonus for clients who prefer to enjoy some more exclusivity at the lodge, although the 90 000 acre Blaauwkrantz is large enough toe easily accomodate up to 5 hunting parties (PH's hunting 1x1 or 2x1). Below are some photos of a hunt that I did with Mr Christopher Sundman from Sweden in early January,probably the hottest time of the year.He had an awesome hunt taking a fantastic kudu and the Hogslam amongst other great trophies So, in future it is worth while considering the summer months to hunt with Blaauwkrantz Safaris. Good hunting.






Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Hello 2015

Just a short entry to say be prepared for a lot more blog entries from now. I hope to give updates regarding all our hunting as often as possible. 
We completed another successful marketing season for 2015 and our hunting season is about to kick off too.

I did guide Mr Christopher Sundman in early January and this will form the basis of my next entry.

Good hunting