May 9, 2015
I just arrived back from a hunting trip in Grahamstown South Africa with a company called KMG Hunting Safaris. I first heard of them when I went to the Toronto Sportsman Show, where I spoke to Marius (owner of KMG). Even though I got a good vibe from our meeting I wanted to research this company online before I invested my money into them. Their website looked reputable but I prefer to read reviews from a third party website other than the company’s own web page (I feel that they can pick and choose which reviews go on their web page). I was not able to find any reviews on this company other than their own website. I was left with a hard decision but decided to go with them for 2 main reasons; I received a good vibe from Marius on our meeting in Toronto, and they were the cheapest company out of all the ones I looked into. I did promise myself that I would write a review on this company (good or bad) after my trip was complete for anybody that is interested in planning a hunting trip to South Africa.
I was greeted by my hunting guide Warren, when I arrived at the airport in Port Elizabeth. From there it was approximately a 2.5 hour drive to Grahamstown. The hunting Lodge is a 5 star quality with a beautiful scenic view of hills and valleys without a house in sight. You can see all kinds of wild life from the deck because the lodge is located on a games reserve. Before Diner I had the chance to take a couple of shots with the guide’s rifle so that I would be comfortable for the coming hunt. I had Marius set up a day jeep safari for the next day, where we saw lions, elephant, hippos, giraffes, etc. This was a nice relaxing day to get over some of the jet leg before the hunt.
The first animal I hunted was the Fallow Deer. I was told that these animals are generally tricky to hunt but in April they are in the rut, which made things a lot easier. We started the hunt at 7:00am and had my Fallow Deer by 2:00pm. Within the next 3 days I had shot an Impala, Kudu, and Warthog. It rained quite a bit the first 2 days but did not affect the productivity of the hunt. My guide Warren was very knowledgeable and professional. He was able to get me within 200 yards for every animal because I told him that I was not comfortable with long range shooting. I felt he was always looking out for my best interest and communicated his opinion very clearly when I asked but was never pushy.
All the meals were amazing (in my opinion South Africa has the best food out of all the places I have visited around the world), staff are extremely friendly and accommodating.
I learned a lot on truths and myths with managing animals in this Country. One thing that impressed me was how Warren and other hunters are big advocates with conservation of all animal so that everybody can enjoy them. He explained how money generated through hunting helps fund and protect animals against poaching to sustain a balanced population (poaching is a big problem in South Africa and not legal hunting). From what I can see South Africa has an excellent program in place for legal hunting. I also appreciated how nothing goes to waste with the animal that was hunted. From skin to the guts, Everything gets used.
I did a 4 day hunt for 4 animals and could have easily stayed longer if time had allowed me. Instead, I rented a car and drove to Cape Town, making stops along the way (I would recommend doing this road trip). We walked cheetahs and elephants, went to a monkey and snake sanctuary, Zip lining, Cango Caves, cage diving with great white sharks, see penguin colonies, and Table mountain to name a few of the things we did on our way to Cape Town.
Overall, hunting with KMG was the highlight of my trip and exceeded all my expectations. I highly recommend KMG hunting Safari for anyone interested in hunting in South Africa.
