Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa First Time With JJ Hack

Hunting In The Limpopo With Jim Hackiewicz

Three years ago, after many years of fishing in Northern Canada and Alaska, I decided to take up big game hunting. For years I had hunted deer in the Southern Tier of New York with friends but had never done any other big game hunting. After New York legalized the use of rifles in some of the counties in the Southern Tier and I had purchased a Remington 7400 semiautomatic in .308 caliber, I decided to try big game hunting outside New York. My first trip was to New Brunswick for black bear in 2006. After a successful black bear hunt, I began to think of other hunting adventures I might be interested in and began thinking of a trip to Canada, Alaska or Africa.

I started my research on the internet by joining the Greybeard, Accurate Reloading and 24 Hour Campfire hunting forums. I quickly learned that most of the hunting adventures in North America were for a single animal and were quite expensive while a trip to Africa involved shooting more than one animal and was less expensive.

As a young boy growing up in the 1950s, I had read many articles in Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field and Stream about big game hunting in Africa and dreamed of going there some day. �So why not go now, before I get too old?� I asked myself. I now began the serious research of deciding where to go in Africa, what animals I wanted most to shoot and who to hunt with.

Over the next year, I read books by Robert Ruark, Ernest Hemingway, J. A. Hunter, Frederick C. Selous, Theodore Roosevelt and Terry Wieland on Africa, hunting and rifles. The two books that impressed me the most were Jim Hackiewicz�s Africa the First Time (available from Amazon.com) and Kevin Robertson�s The Perfect Shot (available at Cabela�s). From these books and the hunting forums I learned that I could not bring my semiautomatic .308 rifle into Africa; that Kenya was no longer open to hunting; that the cost of hunting any of the Big Five was prohibitive; that Tanzania was to expensive for me; and that Zimbabwe was too unstable. I decided to hunt in either South Africa or Namibia and to use a borrowed rifle rather than buying a new one.

After attending a Sportsmen�s Show here in Buffalo that had several safari outfitters and seeing their mounts of various plains game animals, I decided that I wanted to hunt kudu, gemsbok, impala and warthog in South Africa. I then asked the hunting forums for references for any of the outfitters at the show. The only responses I received were from other outfitters wanting me as a client. I had read all the postings on Greybeard where Jim Hackiewicz is moderator and was impressed by his experience and demeanor. I contacted Jim by email and phone and was even more impressed. Then in August I read Matt Richardson�s journal of his June 2007 hunt with Jim and immediately booked my 2008 hunt with Jim for the week of May 25th to June 5th. I purchased a package that included an impala, warthog and kudu. I could shoot many other animals as long as I paid for them.

Now the waiting, anticipation and preparation began. I spoke with Jim several times asking questions that I am sure he had been asked hundreds of times previously. He was always responsive, enthusiastic and helpful in answering my questions and preparing me for the trip. Perhaps his best recommendation was that I book my flight through Elaine at African Odyssey. She got me a seat on South African Airways with extra leg room that made the long flight much more pleasant. She also recommended trip insurance which included healthcare coverage while in South Africa, which was money well spent in my opinion.

Since I had traveled to many outfitters in the wilds of North America on fishing trips and also had Jim�s list of clothing and equipment to bring, I had little difficulty deciding on what to take and how to pack it. As the months rolled by, my anticipation grew and I became more and more excited about the upcoming adventure. All my friends were envious and constantly asking if I was excited about the upcoming trip. Of course, the answer was �yes.�

Finally the big day arrived. My wife dropped me at the Buffalo airport two hours before departure on United to Dulles. Since it was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend the security lines at both Buffalo and Dulles were virtually non existent and I arrived at my departure gate at Dulles approximately six hours before boarding South African Airways for Johannesburg. At the airport, I met one of the other men hunting with Jim and we got to know each other while discussing the upcoming hunt. We were both anxious to get underway.

The flight to Johannesburg was long but uneventful. The staff was very pleasant and helpful and the food was tolerable. In Jim�s book, he recommended taking Ambien to get a good night�s sleep on the plane and his recommendation allowed me to get six to seven hours of sleep. We arrived in Johannesburg right on time, cleared immigration and customs quickly and were met by Larry the owner of Jakaalsfontein farm where Safari Matossie is located. We quickly loaded Larry�s car with our gear and were on our way to the Limpopo.

During the five hour trip to Jakaalsfontein farm, Larry explained how he had inherited the farm; its location in Limpopo Province near the town of Swartwater in north central South Africa near the Botswana border about a two hour drive east of Ellisras; and that the camp is based on a 100 year old brick farm house that has been remodeled to make a most comfortable hunting lodge. The main house consists of an entry area and five large bedrooms, most with private bathrooms with safe running water, flush toilets, and hot showers. Across from the lodge is a converted barn that has been refinished in wood and brick into a large pleasant dining room with an attached kitchen. In front of the dining room is an open bar area covered by a thatched roof, a large patio and campfire ring, and a traditional barbeque for outdoor cooking. There is also a nice tiled pool off the patio for guests to use. On our drive from Ellisras to camp, we saw a nice sable standing along the roadside and that really got me excited.

We arrived at the farm about 10:30 p.m., were introduced to the staff and PHs, and moved our gear into the remodeled farm house. I was assigned Jim Hackiewicz as my professional hunter (PH). This was probably due to the fact that I was going to be using Jim�s 30/06 rifle to hunt with during the week. Jim is an electrical engineer by training and also has a degree in wildlife management. He has lived and worked all over the world and been the wildlife manager for Weyerhauser, shooting hundreds of black bears to protect the young trees. He is one of the few Americans, perhaps the only one, licensed as a professional hunter in South Africa. Jim lives ten months a year in Washington State with his wife and six-year-old son and works for a large aerospace company. Two months a year he lives, hunts and scuba dives in South Africa. As my PH, he was a pleasure to hunt with and get to know. I found him to be patient, knowledgeable and dedicated to finding game for his clients. After introductions, and discussion of plans and schedules for the next day�s hunt, we retired to the open air bar for a late drink and then off to bed about 11:30 p.m.

Jamien (pronounced Yahmeen) Lezaar is the camp hostess and Jim�s girl Friday. For a first year, newly opened facility, the quarters, service, and stay were excellent. For those of you who have hunted and fished in lodges in Canada and Alaska, the camp was comparable to the best in those places. The facilities were very comfortable, the people were especially nice, and the food was excellent. Jamien�s mother, Anita, served as cook. She received rave reviews from everyone for the wonderful meals she prepared from game, fresh vegetables, and herbs from her garden.

The daily routine consisted of getting-up at 6:00 a.m., breakfast of hot or cold cereals, toast, fruit, etc, tea and coffee at 6:30 and off to hunt at 7:00 each morning. The morning hunt usually ended around noon when everyone returned to camp for a hot lunch, a discussion of the morning hunt, and to plan the afternoon hunt. After a short rest, we departed around 2:00 to hunt until dark at about 6:00. Dinner, another large hot meal, usually game, local specialties, or a barbeque, was served at 8:00 or so, allowing hunters time to deliver game to the skinning shed, cleanup, and socialize at the bar. After dinner, time was available to socialize and make plans for the next day. At the end of the evening, the generator was turned off and we were usually in bed by 10:30. The evenings were always fun as the PHs and other hunters shared hunting experiences and the day�s photos.

May 27, 2008

The day started at 7:30 a.m. and we left as soon as everyone had breakfast to check the scopes on rifles. None of the points of impact on any of the rifles had changed and we were soon on the road to the first hunting area.

I was using Jim�s 30/06 rifle. It has a Winchester Model 70 action, a 23 inch PacNor barrel, a Pacific Research �Rimrock� synthetic stock and a Leupold VXIII 2.5 -10 power scope with both a German 4 reticule set for 250 yards and a fine line reticule set for 100 yards mounted on Leupold Dual Dovetail low mounts. The rifle is stainless steel and has been treated with Robar. Jim hand loads all his ammunition using once shot brass, Federal 210M primers, 58 grains of IMR 4350 powder, and 165 grain Barnes TSX bullets. The rifle has killed over two thousand big game animals.

For the rest of the morning, Jim and I stayed on the property which is approximately ten square miles and covered with fairly thick brush and knee high grass. We initially drove the area looking for animals to stalk but were unsuccessful. Then we stopped at the large water hole and saw two herds of impala and several young warthogs. We decided not to shoot either of the two impala rams we saw. After lunch, we picked up Alfred, a Zulu who worked on another farm (Freddy�s) we were allowed to hunt, and went to a blind overlooking a water hole on Freddy�s farm (Freddy�s farm is 80 square mile of property and the driveway to his house is six miles long). The blind was only twenty-five yards from the water hole and both Jim and I commented that it was probably too close. Jim said the next time we came we would build a new blind further away. Impala yews and two young waterbucks and a female nyala came to the water but nothing large enough to shoot. About 4:30 a kudu cow and bull came into the water hole. The kudu bull looked huge to me (the first I had ever seen). The kudu were very edgy but came right up to the water. We were so close to them that I was afraid to move. Finally, the bull and I made eye contact and both kudu bolted. Jim said that the bull was large enough to shoot. To me he looked like a moose. About 5:30 a gemsbok came in followed by a large waterbuck bull. Jim whispered to me that the gemsbok was an excellent one and that, if I wanted a gemsbok, I should take it. After thinking about it for a few minutes I pulled the trigger. Bang! Flop! One dead gemsbok! Jim said he had only seen that happen once before. Gemsbok are usually not a quick kill and very dangerous when wounded. After pictures, Jim loaded the gemsbok onto his Toyota truck using a power winch system he had just devised. It really worked slick.

After unloading the gemsbok at the skinning shed, dropping Alfred off, and returning to camp, we met the third hunter in the group and his niece, who had just arrive with Jamien after visiting one of the game parks for two days. I was the only hunter to get an animal this day.

May 28, 2008

Jim and I spent the morning in a stone blind overlooking the large water hole on the Jakaalsfontein farm. In the morning, we saw three gemsbok (none as big as the one I shot yesterday), an eland cow and her two calves, numerous impala, female warthogs and their piglets, and two almost shootable kudu bulls. In the afternoon we were in another stone blind overlooking the water hole nearest the camp. We saw warthogs, impala and monkeys but nothing was shootable. While I did not shoot any animals this day, it was a great day because I saw so many animals and they were so interesting to watch. One of the other hunters shot a nice warthog and the other shot a Roland Ward minimum and SCI minimum trophy impala ram.

May 29, 2008

We awoke to find that one of the other hunter�s PH was sick that morning. With Jim�s concurrence, I invited the other hunter to join us for the morning hunt. We went to the same water hole that Jim and I had hunted the previous morning. On the way to the water hole, we saw blesbok, kudu and gemsbok. Shortly after getting set up in the stone blind, a herd of red hartebeest came in. There must have been twenty cows. Finally, a shootable bull came in and I told the other hunter to take him, if he wanted a red hartebeest. While he was making up his mind, a huge bull came in and the other hunter promptly shot him. He exceeded the Roland Ward minimum and the SCI minimum for a trophy red hartebeest. After pictures, Jim once again used his power winch to load the hartebeest onto the truck. After taking the hartebeest to the skinning shed, we returned to camp for a planned late breakfast very excited about the trophy hartebeest. I can honestly say that I was as happy as the hunter who shot the trophy hartebeest. It was pure joy to see the happiness on his face when he realized what a beautiful trophy he had taken. The ill PH was much better after the late breakfast and went out hunting with his client. Jim and I returned to the large water hole and about 11:30 I shot a 21 � 22 inch impala ram at about 125 yards. Once again he dropped at the shot. In rereading Kevin Robertson�s The Perfect Shot, since returning home, I have learned that there is a good chance this impala ram will meet the SCI minimum for a trophy. . After lunch, we went to another water hole on a different farm hoping for either a big kudu bull or a big boar warthog. Nothing big seemed to be moving and we did not see anything shootable. When we left the water hole at dark, Jim had problems with his truck. After some anxious moments, he got it going and we got back to camp without further difficulty. When we got to camp, Jim said we would use another truck the next day so that the staff could check his Toyota out. The third hunter had spent the entire day hunting on a third property with his niece and PH and had shot a magnificent 54 inch kudu that exceeded the Roland Ward minimum and the SCI minimum for a trophy kudu bull. Three great trophies were taken in one day. Wow!

May 30, 2008

This morning Jim and I went to the water hole where the big kudu had been shot yesterday hoping to see another shootable kudu bull. The blind on this property is approximately twenty feet up in the air on four large telephone pole like poles. To the left of the blind there is an approximately 100 yard open cut that runs for about 500 yards up to another raised blind similar to ours with woods on each side. Jim and I watched a herd of impala cross the cut. They went into the woods and came diagonally down to the water hole. There was one nice ram in the group and we could hear others barking in the trees. Several grey duiker and steenbok, both male and female, came in but I had not planned on shooting either and was hoping for a kudu bull. About 11:00, we saw several kudu cows and calves cross the cut and go into the woods about 300 yards from us. Both Jim and I thought the kudu would behave just like the impala herd and cut diagonally through the woods and come out in the middle of the water hole. A few minutes later a kudu bull crossed the cut obviously following the cows since the rut was starting. I set up for the shot and Jim told me he wanted me to shoot lower than I had on my earlier gemsbok and impala. He wanted me to take out both lungs and the top of the heart and showed me where to shoot in his copy of the pocket edition of The Perfect Shot. About ten minutes later, the two cows and the calves walked right out in the middle of the water hole. Shortly thereafter the kudu bull came out of the woods and walked up behind one of the cows. Jim said it was a good bull and that I should shoot him. I took careful aim at the heart/lung area and pulled the trigger. At the shot, the kudu leaped across the water hole in two bounds and went into the brush. We lost sight of him and did not hear any sound of him thrashing in the brush. Jim asked me if the shot had felt good and I responded that it had. We climbed down from the blind and walked around the water hole. Jim found where the kudu had exited the water and was about to start tracking it when our native driver arrived with the truck to take us back to camp for lunch. After Jim explained the situation, both he and the native began to track the kudu. I stayed back on the water�s edge so as to not destroy any tracks or the blood trail. Almost immediately, Jim called me to come into the brush. About 100 yards into the brush, my kudu was lying dead on a spot of bare ground. My shot had been perfect and there was lung material in the exit hole. After taking many pictures of the kudu, the kudu and me and the kudu, Jim and me, it was time to load the kudu into the truck. Unfortunately, this truck did not have a power winch or any winch for that mater and the three of us could not lift the seven hundred pound kudu into the truck. The truck did have a radio and we were barely able to contact the camp for help. The two other PHs were in camp for lunch and they came to our rescue. After loading the kudu with the aid of a hand winch, we departed for the skinning shed and then to camp for lunch.

After lunch we went back to the same water hole. We did see some young warthogs, a large group of impalas with a shootable ram, a nice steenbok and several duiker. Jim saw a large warthog cross an open area about 400 yards away but he never came out for us to evaluate and shoot. We called it quits for the day and returned to the lodge. To be honest, that afternoon is a complete blur to me because I was so excited about my morning kudu. The kudu was the one animal I came all the way to South Africa to shoot and I was absolutely thrilled. No one else had shot anything that day. That night, we had a barbeque and ate impala chops and kudu.

May 31, 2008

All of us were up early and looking forward to another exciting day of hunting. After a quick breakfast, Jim and I went to a water hole on yet another farm ( this one contained 50 square miles of property). We set up chairs on top of a rock hill overlooking the water hole. From the top of this hill, we could see for miles in every direction. Nothing but African bush country was visible all the way to Botswana. We stayed there all morning and never saw a thing. After our picnic lunch, we left to hunt some place else. On the way out, we stopped at the owner�s house to thank him for letting us hunt on his property and he told us that since we were only looking for a warthog we could hunt in his animal sanctuary. We hunted all afternoon and never saw a warthog. We did see impala and duiker. We finally called it quits and headed for camp.
That day one of our hunters had shot his kudu at the same water hole the other two kudu had been shot and the other hunter had shot a gemsbok at the big water hole on the camp property right at dark. With three full days to hunt, the three of us only needed two warthogs and an impala ram to complete our packages.

June 1, 2008

On Sunday morning, after a hot breakfast of fried eggs, sausage and bacon, Jim and I went to a new water hole on the same property the three kudu were shot. Once again we were in a raised blind overlooking a water hole. This blind also had an attached ground level blind that could be used as an alternative. We were looking for a shootable warthog. During the time we were there, we saw several young warthogs, many impala yews, one probable trophy impala ram, many monkeys, several duikers, a herd of wildebeest cows and calves, and three waterbuck bulls, one of which was almost certainly a Rolland Ward and SCI trophy. I considered shooting both the trophy impala ram and the trophy waterbuck but did not. We finally called it quits and headed for camp. I had never seen so many animals and found the day to be totally memorable even though I did not fire a shot. When we got back to camp we learned that one of the other hunters had shot a nice steenbok and a nice impala ram. However, we still needed two warthogs and an impala ram to complete our packages.

June 2, 2008

Jim had some things to do this morning, so I slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and took some pictures around the camp. It was a very enjoyable morning and I was confident that I would shoot a fine warthog in the afternoon. After an early lunch, Jim and I went to the so called �pig water hole� on Freddy�s property. If you ever imagined a pig hole this was it. It was really a mud hole and when we arrived two warthogs quickly departed. I was confident that I would get my warthog that afternoon. The hours past and absolutely nothing came to the mud hole. About 4:00 a herd of cows came into the water (mud) hole and Jim went out and shoed them away. At 6:00 we quit and went back to camp. None of the other two hunters had shot anything that day either, so we still needed two warthogs and an impala ram to complete our packages.

June 3, 2008

The last day of hunting everyone was up early and eager to get started. We each had an animal left to complete our package. Jim and I picked up Alfred at Freddy�s and went to the water hole where I had shot my gemsbok the first day. For the first hour or so the three of us built a blind about 50 yards down wind from the water hole. We had originally planned to go back to camp for lunch after completing the blind but we finished it early and decided to hunt from it for an hour or so before returning to camp for lunch. We had been there about 30 minutes when a small group of impala came in to drink. One of them was a trophy ram and, after a minute�s hesitation, I shot him. He leaped into the water and out and went about twenty yards before dying. After pictures, we went to the skinning shed and Jim measured him at 24 � inches. It was a trophy under both the Roland Ward and SCI scoring methods. I was absolutely thrilled to have shot such a fine impala ram. It had also been extra rewarding to help build the blind that resulted in the successful hunt. That afternoon , Jim and I went back to the blind hoping to shoot a warthog but none came to the water hole. We did see impala, including a ram almost as big as the one I had shot that morning, two young kudu bulls, several waterbucks, one of which was shootable, and, just at dark several shootable gemsbok. When we got back to camp, we learned both other hunters had completed their packages by shooting an impala ram and a warthog.

After returning to camp I quickly cleaned-up and packed my bag for the trip home the next day. Happy hour at the outdoor bar and dinner were more subdued than on previous nights and all three hunters retired early to finish packing and get a good night�s sleep.

June 4, 2008

I was up early and made sure all was packed away for the trip home. After a quick breakfast, we loaded the van and drove to the skinning shed where we met with Mike Smith of Capricorn Taxidermy who would be doing my taxidermy. I had European mounts made of all four animals, the whole kudu skin tanned, and the two impala skins tanned and made into two sixteen inch square pillows for my family room couch. As soon as we had completed the necessary paperwork and forms, we set off for Johannesburg. A short time after we left the farm, we passed a baboon family on the side of the road. We stopped at a large curio shop in Vaalwater and picked up gifts and souvenirs, to take home. We arrived at the Johannesburg airport at approximately 3:00 and checked in for the 6:00 departure. I had no difficulty clearing customs and immigration and got to the gate in short order. At 5:30 we boarded the plane. The trip back was long and uneventful. It required a stop in Dakar, Senegal where the plane was cleaned, re-supplied, and refueled. The plane arrived at Dulles at 6:30 the next morning and I had no difficult clearing immigration and customs. The trip was more difficult than the trip over because I mistakenly packed my Ambien in the checked bag and I slept little during the night. At Dulles, I said good-bye to the hunter who had traveled with me. All three hunters had become good friends during the trip and we hope to hunt together next year in Wyoming for mule deer and pronghorn. Time will tell. My plane to Buffalo was right on time and I arrived home at 11:00.

Things Learned

First, I was smart to use Jim�s rifle rather than invest in a bolt-action rifle, scope, rings, mounts and a sturdy gun case. With Jim�s rifle I killed four animals with four shots. Second, the 30/06 is one of the finest big game, non-dangerous game rifles ever developed and it will kill all North American big game when 165 grain Barnes TSX bullets are used. Third, all my previous trips were helpful in deciding what to take to Africa but I still took several things I did not need. Fourth, all the research I had done paid-off in that I had a fabulous adventure in Africa and made many new friends. Fifth, I learned that the two year training program for PHs in South Africa makes them much more competent than the average guide in the United States or Canada. Sixth, the number of mature animals in South Africa is truly amazing to see. I hope that every North American hunter gets to experience African hunting sometime during his life. It is truly a fantastic hunting experience. Finally, I would be honored to hunt with Jim anytime, anywhere. He is a terrific Professional Hunter and Outfitter.

In conclusion, I can only say that I anticipated a fantastic adventure in Africa and my hunt with Jim Hackiewicz exceeded my wildest dreams. I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life.

Great post. Thank-you.

I hope to fulfill my own pipe-dream someday. JJ is one of the tops on my own list, of whom I'm going to call.

Thanks for the post, and congrats on a great hunt. This is the best kind of advertising; I know JJ is on the top of my list for 2011, which is the earliest I'll be able to go.

Great post. Great first hunt. Jim runs a good outfit.

HOWEVER, THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim's a true gentleman in every regard and this post is testament to his integrity and his professionalism. Now let's see some pics! jorge

I've only heard of good things when JJ's outfit is mentioned...

Its sounds to me he is a producer and a man of integrity...

Congrats on a great hunt...great story and I surely enjoyed your details

I have figured out how to post picyures. Here are the four animals I shot with Jim during my May 27th thru June 4th.


Gemsbok


First Impala


Kudu


Second Impala

Nice trip. It is great isn't it. Jim is fantastic. I hunted with him last year and booked again with him this year.

Congrats, looks like you had a real nice time!