Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Botswana Late Aug 2022 PG Hunt

I guess you could call this Part II of my Aug 2022 trip to Botswana. As you’ve possibly read in the other thread I’ve got here about elephant hunting in CT27. I’ve split the trip into two reports. That one with info pertinent to CT 27 and then this one regarding PG cull/meat hunting I did on this same trip. Just to recap a bit……..

Original dates were set last year and I paid the deposit to lock and hold the dates. The intention was for setting up a small group PG hunt to the Tuli block in eastern Bots on a property called Saas Post with Gerhard & Maggie Koch of Koch Safaris. At the time I set the dates, Gerhard was still negotiating for a DG concession 5+hrs farther N known as CT27. I had two guys that were interested in coming but when it came time for them to send their deposits, they got cold feet. They blamed it on the Ukrainian/Russian thing despite it being over 9000 miles and a continent away. Guess it turned out to be a good thing as Gerhard did end up securing CT27 but, several weeks after the DG season had already opened. Therefore, his focus and time needed to switch to this venture and put PG hunting on Saas Post on the back burner. I was still planning on making the trip regardless as I had already purchased my tickets. I wanted/needed to see CT27 and the facilities first hand if possible and I’d like to tag along chasing elephant with Gerhard and crew.

As time ticked closer, Gerhard’s schedule in CT 27 was getting a bit jammed and my getting from the a/p in Gaborone up to the concession area, 7+hrs drive N, was looking like it could be a logistical problem for Gerhard. He already had more than enough pressure on him with the late tender on the concession and I didn’t want to add to that. So, I contacted some friends/neighbors of Gerhard’s, whom I’ve hunted with in the past and whose properties adjoin the Saas Post property. I’ve mentioned them both in my previous Bots reports: Kevin Nell, owner of Darnaway Farm and Wim Biemond, owner of Basinghall Farm. Normally, they are both involved in PG hunting with clients only from Bots or RSA who do hunts in their “self-catering” facilities. Mostly meat/biltong hunting with some limited trophy animals. The trophy animals get very little pressure because the clients are only interested in the meat. Consequently, they do have some pretty impressive trophy animals. They’ve also helped Gerhard when he needed extra PH’s on Saas Post and also additional trophy or cull/management/meat animals.

For those who might not be aware of what “self-catering” is in Africa, you’re basically renting a small tented camp or hard bungalow/chalet with bedrooms, beds, bath/toilet and cooking facilities with basic pots/pans. You bring your own sheets, pillows, towels and food. Both Kevin and Wim have some basic self-catering facilities. Kevin and Lindi have an elevated tented camp with several typical safari tents on the banks of the Limpopo river and Wim has a small basic 2br, 1ba bungalow. Kevin & Lindi also have a small “mother-in-laws” quarters next to their main house that is a converted “rondavel”. What is a rondavel? They are/were traditionally a round grain storage building. They are commonly converted in to one or two bedrooms guest quarters. In this case, Kevin & Lindi’s is just a 1br with closets and private bathroom with sink, toilet and shower. Concrete floors and traditional open beam thatched roof. It was similar in condition to the room I stayed in at Phokjobe Bushlodge but, without heat/ac unit. Queen size bed and the typical daily maid and laundry service. Not fancy, but a damn site more comfortable than a mountain tent in the cold and rainy US during an elk or deer hunt.



Wim's self-catering bungalow.



So, the plan was, for Kevin to pick me up in Gaborone, they organized my temp rifle import permit and I’d stay in the rondavel next to their house. I’d split my time evenly between hunting with Kevin on his place and with Wim on his place. All I was interested in was culling/management/meat hunting/shooting and primarily targeting blue w/b and common planes zebra and would take a few impala if they needed. As luck would have it, Wim had a meat order for 5,000 pounds of meat for the local butchery the first week I was there. Mostly was for w/b and zebra with a few impala and one kudu.

The rifle I brought this time was one of Lipsey’s special (second run) of Ruger 77’s in the African style in 9.3.62. I had purchased the rifle several years ago new when it came out. Until this trip, it had only taken paper at the range. Loved the handling, was very accurate with pretty much every bullet I tried but, for some reason I saw it as a “tweener” caliber. Maybe a bit heavy for PG and not legal for DG in most countries. However, the caliber also called to me as one of the “classic African” calibers that had a long and storied history going back over 100 years. Many an Afrikaner staked their and their families lives and livelihoods on that cartridge and it’s still very popular there. And now I understand why. Bullets were just simple 270gr Speer Hot Cores pushed to around 2350fps. Sighted in at about 1 ½” high at 100m. This put me just about dead on at 150m and about 2” low at 200m. Meant no mucking about with hold over/under. Just put the cross-hairs in the vitals and squeeze. As long as I did my part 5-shot groups could be easily covered with a quarter at 100m. Scope was just an older gloss, Leopold 2-7 Vari-X IIc.

First animal it was blooded on was a proper walk & stalk blue w/b. It was quartering hard away at maybe 100-110m and I decided to try a bit of a raking shot just where the ribs start and thru to the offside front leg. The impact was incredibly impressive. Usually, the w/b I’ve taken thru the chest, have made a bit of an arched/humped jump at impact. This one, no jumping at all. Just a hard stumble forward that almost put it on it’s front knees. It recovered briefly, stumbled a few meters forward and was down. The bullet had stopped just under the skin at the front of the offside shoulder. I have to say, the reaction on impact was very impressive. I didn't take a photo, but Wim did and I forgot to ask him for a copy.

In fact, every animal taken, the impact was nearly like lightning hit them. Impala taken in the past with 308, 30-06 and 375 Ruger, always seemed to make arcing jump on impact. Same with w/b. With the 9.3, neither jumped, just buckled their legs and would run 25-30m or so and done. Very big entry and exit holes with surprizingly relatively little blood shot meat. Even zebra when hit, their knees would buckle on impact and run a little and done. One large stallion was at a hard angling towards me at maybe 100-110m. It was the angle that puts the front leg bone directly in front of the heart. Hitting it on the outside of the leg just puts the bullet in the guts and a little too far inside and you can miss getting inside the ribs completely. I buggered the shot a bit and hit it right ON the leg bone. The impact actually knocked it back and down on it’s side and it flailed around like a spine shot. It did manage to regain it’s feet but, only moved 40m or so and I finished it with a head shot at 20m.

In the eight days I hunted with Wim and Kevin I ended up taking 38 head. Half were legitimate walk and stalk and half were from the truck. Most were w/b and zebra with maybe a dozen impala and one young kudu bull Wim had a meat request for. Typical was 4-8 head a day.

This was a typical morning. Hard to see but there are two blue w/b under the zebra.



I did manage to take the best “trophy” blue w/b ever at Kevin’s. VERY old lone bull with both horns broken off short. Not quite a “scrum cap” but close. Turns out his teeth were pretty much gone and he maybe would make it to the coming rainy season but, not much more.



Keven took me to some of his less hunted areas along the Limpopo river. It was surprising to find more than a dozen wire snares set. Some you could tell were recent and some that had been in place for a good while due to how much rust was on the wire and some were well embedded in the tree trunk. Closest village was over 12k away yet, they were coming that far to poach.

With Gerhard and Maggie moving off Sass Post and leaving a bit of gap available for foreign hunters to come into the area, Kevin and Wim are busy getting organized to accommodate a few. I should have there prices and details sorted out before the end of this year. I am already scheduled to go back for 14-days of culling, plus travel time on each end, with a guy in late Aug 2023. Can probably take one or two more if anyone is interested. Accommodations will need to be sorted out with two guys sharing the rondavel (separate beds) at Kevin’s and one or two staying over at Wim’s. The hunting would be shared across both places with most meals either in the bush (lunch) and dinners at Kevin’s. Still a bit to sort out but more than enough time to “make a plan”.

Hopefully, Kevin and Wim will have their daily rates and trophy and cull fees sorted out by the end of this year. Once they do, I'll post them up.

Cross Link to the CT27 Report.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-of-season-elephant-special#Post17474229