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M3taco Offline OP
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Botswana CT 27 End of Season Elephant Special.

Just talked with my friend Gerhard Koch with Koch Safaris in Botswana this morning. Earlier this yea, he acquired the concession rights to CT 27 in NE Botswana. The concession is about 7 hrs drive N. of Gaborone. The E boarder is the Limpopo river and RSA the NE boarder is with ZIM. It’s approximately 3 MILLION US acres.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Due to the short notice of this offer and the rapidly approaching end of DG season on 15 September, contact Gerhard directly to determine availability and dates.

Gerhard Koch: Cell Phone and WhatsApp: +267 75 414 214
Email: infokochsafaris.com

I will try to help you with getting there and back questions.

AS OF TODAY, he has a couple of currently uncommitted elephant available on quota. They were originally offered as a 10-day hunt, all inclusive from airport pickup to airport return for $35,000.00 USD. Because the season close (September 15) is rapidly approaching, he’s offering the couple of remaining elephants at $25,000.00 USD for an all inclusive 1x1, 7-day hunt from airport pickup to airport return. He’s also offering a 10-day, two clients, one PH (2x1) and two elephant for $43,000.00 all inclusive. These are fully exportable from Botswana and currently importable to the US.

You’ll be basing out of Kwadiwa River Lodge that is ON the Limpopo river.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

You’ll have the option of either flying into Gaborone for the 7-hr road transfer from the airport to the main lodge or you can opt to fly into Polokwane RSA from Johannesburg. Polokwane is just across the boarder and close to a Botswana/RSA boarder check-point. This makes the airport to lodge road transfer just at 2 hrs each way.

SA Airlink has two flights a day between Johannesburg and Polokwane – Dep JNB @ 06:35, Arr PTG @ 07:30 and Dep JNB @16:15 Arr PTG 17:10. Return from Polokwane to Johannesburg flts are – Dep PTG @ 07:55, Arr JNB @ 08:55 and Dep PTG @ 17:40, Arr JNB @ 18:35.

Because of the vast size of the concession, Gerhard has also set up several fly camps to cut down on the drive time from the lodge to where the scout/trackers locate elephant. You may spend a night or two in a fly camp before returning to the main lodge for a night and then back out the next day.

Here are some photos of a few of the elephant they’ve taken this season.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc] [Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]


Obviously and granted, these are not the size generally taken in the western side of Botswana near the Okavango but, these are being offered at price commensurate with the expected size. Here are the rest of the details:

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: •Full room and board accommodation. •Issuing of permits for some species is subjected to changing quotas. •Lost, wounded game considered “taken” and charged at full schedule above price or against cull package quota. PRICES INCLUDE: •Hunting permits. • Temporary firearm import permits. •PH services. • Road transfers from Gaborone Airport and back or Polokwane and back. •Use of hunting vehicles. •Initial preparation of trophies – skinning, salting/drying and delivery to local taxidermist. •Accommodation. •All meals, soft drinks, reasonable amounts of wine and beer and locally available liquor. •Daily laundry and maid service. •There are no hidden fees!

PRICES EXCLUDE: •Airfare. • Lodging en route to/from Koch Safaris. Airport charged taxes and fees if any. •All taxidermist fees. •Dipping, packing and shipping of trophies. •International phone calls. •Insurance and medical expenses. •Tips and Gratuities.

TERMS OF BUSINESS: • Confirmation of a booking will require a deposit of 50% of hunt price. • The balance is due prior to departure for the airport. • Payment must be paid in cash or wire transfer or credit card.

Last edited by M3taco; 08/01/22.
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M3taco Offline OP
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Quick update....


Know this all is very short notice and now, less than 30-days before the season closes etc., and very, very few people are in a position financially and time availability as well. But, here is one they took yesterday.
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Mid 50's, still fresh and depending on the root when it dries/rots could still be over 50#.

I'm flying over this Thursday. Was already planning to be there anyway - not for giant mice, just PG. Will be staying at Kevin & Lindi Nell's Darnaway Farm that is just N of Saas Post in the Tuli Block where I've been hunting the previous few years. The plan is to stay with them the first 4-days and hunt on the next farm NW of them with Wim Biemond on his Bassinghall Farm. He's got a meet order to fill that week.

Then, Gerhard is coming to pick me up and we're heading N. up to CT27 and stay in the Kwandiwa River Lodge for 5-days. Plan is for me to spend some time with my boots and eyes on the ground in CT 27 and see it and the fly camps he's got set up. Also going to spend some time scouting and hunting another 90,000 hectare game farm he's using near CT27 for PG hunting up there.

Then back to Kevin's Darnaway farm and spend the last 4-days doing some management hunting on his place.

I've hunted Saas Post, Darnaway and Bassinghall previously and love all three. I want to see CT27 and the newly added farm. I plan on taking pics and will report on conditions and game counts etc when I get back after Labor Day weekend.

Even if someone from this forum can't make a giant mouse hunt at this late point, maybe pass this along to someone you may know who might. I do know this is a terrific value and I know IF Gerhard gets CT27 next year, prices will very likely be above what his original price was for this year - 10-days, 1x1 for $35k USD.

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Great deal

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Returned home just after Labor Day. Sorry for taking so long to getting anything posted up. Life gets busy sometimes. Decided to break this into two separate reports – one here in the CT 27 elephant hunt thread and a separate one that covers the PG hunting I did with Kevin & Lindi Nell at their Darnaway farm and Wim Biemond at his Basinghall farm next door. I’ll cross link the two threads together when I have them both posted. OK….to CT 27……

My original plans for this trip were laid at the end of last year, 2021. I had originally set dates and locked them in with a deposit with the intention of organizing another small group PG hunt again with Gerhard on Saas Post farm in the Tuli Block. Have posted about hunting with Gerhard and Maggie previously here. I had two guys who committed to going along but, when it came time for them to make their deposits and sort out the airline tickets the Russia/Ukraine thing started and they got cold feet and backed out blaming it on something that was/is 9000 miles and a continent away. Oh well…

Guess in hind sight it all sorted out for the better as at that same time, Gerhard was still negotiating with the community and the Bots govt securing the CT 27 concession. As it worked out, they did get the concession locked in but, not until mid April, after the DG hunting season had already opened. So, Gerhard had to turn his full attention to this enterprise and leave PG hunting on Sass Post on the back burner.

As departure time approached, the “plan” was continuously evolving. Basically, it was for me to fly in on original dates and then spend the full 14-days tagging along in CT 27 as the “water boy”/ Appie helping out on the elephant/leopard hunts. As time got closer, Gerhard’s elephant and leopard clients schedules got a bit packed and dates sliding a bit left and right. That, and the boarder post between RSA and BOT that is mentioned above was still closed making the logistics of my getting from Gabs to the lodge (7+hr drive) a bit too complicated. I’d be arriving in the middle of elephant and leopard hunts, one just finishing, one directly in the middle and one just starting. So….

Started working up an alternate plan of just doing PG cull/meat hunting with guys I’ve hunted with (Kevin & Wim) on previous trips whose properties adjoin Saas Post. If things worked out, I’d still get to spend a few days checking out CT27 and the lodge(s) first hand and still have some good PG trigger time. Kevin and Lindi sorted out my rifle permit with Kevin picking me up in Gabs. We’d split the PG culling between their place and Wim’s. If CT27 didn’t work out at all, I’d just stay with them and split my hunting between them the entire time.

Flight over was on Delta with the overnight in JNB at the City Lodge Hotel and into Gaborone the next morning on SA Airlink. One good thing about going over later in the season is the line at the SAPS office claiming rifles was just 3-4 of us and very quick. Hotel is just as nice as always and just that convenient 5 min walk from the SAPS office. The walk is a bit nice after that LONG flight. Re-checking in the next morning with SA Airlink to Gabs was pretty painless. Just had to pay the small Sa Airlink firearm handling fee (about $30 US) and a few bucks for a little extra weight in my bag and rifle case. Be aware, Delta has a 50lbs per bag free weight and SA Airlink is 40lbs per bag.

Arrival in Gabs was on time and pretty easy as well. Bots still required a negative RT-PCR test or shot card to enter but, had dropped the mandatory Rapid Antigen test screening they were doing earlier in the year. Rifle case, ammo and checked bag all pitched up on the baggage belt. I had a photo copy of my temp firearm permit and a quick check of the serial number and I was out the door with Kevin waiting. Bots still required the face diapers for indoor public places and I just used my nylon neck gaiter.

Rifle I brought was a little Ruger 77 African in 9.3x62 with a Leopold 2-7x32 IIc. I bought the rifle some years back. It was one of Lipseys second special run of 250 from Ruger. Love the rifle but, had only shot paper with it so far. Bullets were just Speer 270gr Hot Cores loaded to just around 2350 fps. Took a few 286 gr solids loaded the same….just in case. Other than paper time, I had only read of the 9.3x62’s grand and long history in Africa. I had never taken it before because I had a preconceived notion that it is what I called a “tweener”. Was maybe too much for common PG but not legal for DG in most African countries. My eyes were definitely about to be opened! Since I’m going to split this up into two reports and I just carried it on the ele portion, I’ll leave the PG info and the rifle results for that post and pick up the trip to CT 27 from here.

As it turned out, Gerhard ended up with a couple of free days between elephant hunts. He picked me up from Kevin & Lindi’s after lunch on 27 Aug and we made the 5 ½ drive up to CT 27 and the Kwadiwa River Lodge (link above). The first 3hrs or so, of the trip were on good paved road. The last 2+ hrs were on seriously neglected govt gravel/dirt road that we could maybe average 50-60 kph on. The total road time from Gaborone to Kwadiwa is 7+hrs. Until the boarder check point between Polokwane RSA and Bots opened a few weeks ago, road trip was the only option. Now, that the boarder check point is open I would HIGHLY advise flying from JNB into Polokwane RSA and then just the 2 ½ hr drive to the lodge. Cost of the flights between JNB and Gaborone and JNB and Polokwane are roughly the same. If you take the early flt into Polokwane, you’ll be at the lodge well before noon.

The Kwadiwa Lodge is actually nicer than in the pictures on their web site. The lodge complex is quite large. Because the lodge owners are anticipating a long term arrangement for DG hunting in CT 27, they are actually constructing a new lodging complex next door to the main Kwadiwa Lodge. It is called Fish Eagle Lodge. Because the main Kwadiwa Lodge complex caters to non-hunting/photo safari clients, they are setting up the Fish Eagle complex exclusively for hunters.

PHOTOS OF FISH EAGLE LODGE ROOMS
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

LODGE COMMON AREA AND DINNING AREA
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc][Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

POOL NEXT TO COMMON ROOM AREA ABOVE
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]


Fish Eagle Lodge has individual chalets with all the amenities, bar, dining room, pool etc as well as being located on the banks of the Limpopo River. They will also be offering game drives, fishing (cat and tilapia only – sorry, no tiger fish in that part of the river) as well as game drives and excursions into the various small towns/villages for the non-hunting family members who may be accompany you. Be advised, while Kwadiwa Lodge will be the main lodge you’ll be based out of, because CT27 is SO FREAKING HUGE (3 MILLION US ACRES), you may well be staying for several days at a time in some other smaller lodges or even fly camps to cut down on your road time between lodging and where the scout trackers have located good elephant. We spent that first night at Kwadiwa and spent the next morning seeing the facilities and the new Fish Eagle Lodge and meeting the managing partner of the lodge Arno De Beer. He is also a partner in the CT 27 concession and a DG rated PH and is conducting some of the elephant hunts as well.

I also met another one of Gerhard’s leopard hunting associates, Francois Roux. He is a dog handler and RSA licensed PH of some renown. He and his dog pack were there for a few days between leopard hunts with Gerhard. He was going to accompany us for a short citizen only permit elephant hunt followed by a farm leopard permit hunt that was to start on 2 Sep with Gerhard. Francois and his dog pack, travel a bit during the hunting season between RSA, BOT, ZIM and MOZ.

That afternoon, 28 Aug, we drove back S to a lodge called https://www.phokojebushlodge.com/. When you click on the link, you’ll be very surprised to see pictures of BASS! Yes, there is even bass fishing in this area via two man-made dams: the Letsbigogo Dam just to the N. and the Dikgatlhong Dam near the Bots/Zim boarder. The area we actually hunted was just to the NW of the Letsbigogo Dam. The lodge was clean and comfortable but still a good distance from the hunting area over pretty basic and unmaintained two-tack trails. This area is just a tiny FRACTION of the entire CT 27 concession area.

As an explanation to the elephant permit. In Bots, they offer “citizen only” elephant permits. The clients/shooter can only be a legal Bots citizen. The permit costs less than two thousand dollars, but must be conducted/guided by a Bots licensed DG PH. The permit holder only pays the direct cost of hiring the PH and food/lodging, govt game scout and trackers etc. The permit holder was a friend of Gerhard’s and they were able to work out a four day window between an elephant/leopard combo hunt and the following farm leopard hunt. I was able to tag along. The clients were a father/son team with the son being the primary shooter in pursuit of his first elephant. I don’t have permission to post their names publicly as the son is actually attending a rather liberal university in the US and was home on break. I can say, the family owns one of the oldest gun shops in Bots and pitched up with three vintage rifles: a real original Rigby in 416 Rigby, a real original Rigby in 458 WM and a real original H&H in 375 H&H!! Both very nice guys to boot.

First morning out, assembled at the bakkies, at 5:30 am. We had two. The clients in theirs and myself, Gerhard, Francois and the govt game scout, Johane, in Gerhard’s. Breakfast was just coffee in the room. Then a short trip into town to pick up the tracker team consisting of 5-6 guys at 6:00am and it still took another 90+ min to get to the hunting area. The tracking teams work exclusively for a PH in each given area being hunted. The head tracker uses his informal network of local subsistence farmers to locate the general areas elephant are working in/passing thru on any given day. It’s the craziest thing to see the most basic of dwelling structure, usually not much more than a mud and tin hut with no power/water etc, yet most have basic cell phones and a small solar cell charger to keep them topped up.

Let me break away a bit to describe this general concession area. In Bots, the govt concessions are mostly comprised of “communal lands”. These areas are somewhat analogous to Indian Reservations in the US. The land, “belongs” to the local tribe(s) and is controlled by the “elders” with oversight by the govt. Locals/tribesmen, can request a “small plot” of land to kind of homestead within these areas. A “small plot” is generally 10-15 hectares (25-35 acres). They can build a dwelling, a kraal and farm crops or domestic livestock. The only “fence” is just that which surrounds the dwelling site and maybe the kraal or high woven wire enclosing any crop/vegetable ground. Domestic stock are cattle, goats and donkey that pretty much roam freely throughout the concession area. They are generally branded and have plastic ear tags. Their movement is somewhat controlled by herders but, mostly by watering. There are no “bore holes”. Water comes from the rivers. Though dry on the surface most of the year, dig down into the sand several feet and water seems pretty abundant. Each herdsman has their own shallow water hole(s) in the river and use buckets to lift the water up into troughs for the animals to drink. Then, they head back out into the bush to forage and back to the kraal for the night.

Consequently, with the domestic stock in the area, the under-story vegetation, other than thorn bushes, is very sparse. Between the cattle and donkeys eating the grass and the goats eating everything on the ground and as high up in the branches they can reach, there is very little forage for any game other than elephant left. We did see a few impala, a couple of kudu and a couple of stienbok is all. These low PG numbers is generally why there are no or very limited PG quota included in most concession quotas. There are several private game farms just outside the concession area that accommodate PG hunting.

There really is no “free range” PG hunting in Botswana. The reason is govt regulations REQUIRE licensed PG hunting farms to be enclosed by high fences. Regular private land cattle and crop farming only needs normal low fence but can NOT be used for PG hunting. Most of the licensed game farms are 10’s of thousands of acres in size and usually contain self sustaining herds of game. There is some limited buying/selling of game in Bots but, seems to be limited to smaller quantities, mostly to maintain genetic diversity within species or to initially establish a self-sustaining herd species on a game farm.

The general hunting plan was to drive the dirt two-tack trails and when passing a farmer’s dwelling we’d stop and the trackers would query them on any recent elephant activity. Sometimes the farmers were pretty animated about what they had seen or had happened. The head tracker would add the info to what he had already gleaned from his other contacts and we’d press on in the general direction most of the activity seemed to indicate.

The main area was NW of the dam and between two main seasonal, now dry, rivers.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

This area was generally crisscrossed by very, very narrow dirt trails that cut the area into roughly 75-100 square kilometer blocks. These trails and “grid pattern” were generally initially cut by mining/surveying crews many years ago and generally run N, S, E and W. They have slowly grown back over but still allow the small Landcruiser size truck to get thru, although, lots of scratches. You’d watch for fresh tracks crossing or following the trail. When seen, everyone would bail from the bakkies to assess the sex, size, freshness and perhaps track a short distance to determine if the tracks were worth following and if they were moving to a certain area or feeding etc. Most times, we’d pile back in and drive all the way around the block to the next road to see if the same tracks had crossed there and keep doing this until they could hopefully isolate the elephants inside a specific block. Then go back to where the last solid track(s) were found and then start the hunt on foot from there.

I think it has been said that you hunt leopard with your head, buffalo with your heart and elephant with your feet. There is much truth to this. For those who’ve done elephant hunts, you understand how fast the pace is when on the initial track. For those who’ve never done it, put on a 10-12 pound pack (simulates carrying your rifle, ammo and kit) and then “race walk” through a brier patch for a couple of hours!! If you don’t come back a bit scratched and bloody, you’re not doing it right!!!

I will say, it was interesting watching the trackers work. When on the track, they and we’d all be in single file. Occasionally, the track would be lost. When that happened, all the trackers automatically fanned out and independently searched. When the track was located, a short low whistle and everyone fell back in line. I was logging the hikes on my mapping app on my phone. Over the 3-days I was with them we averaged between 200-250k (120-150 miles) in the trucks and 25-30k (15-18 miles) on foot per day.

The first day, all we saw were tracks. The day was mostly used to familiarize with the area and general movements of the ele. We did do several short tracks but, mostly familiarization. Second day we were on hot tracks a couple of times but, the wind was swirling a good bit and were busted before they were sighted. That night a serious cold front came thru. Reports were there was even snow over in the Eastern Cape in RSA the previous day. It was quite cold the next morning, the 3rd day. Back in long pants, sweatshirts and jackets for the entire day. The cold changed the elephants movements a bit too. Did get within hearing range of a couple but, again busted by swirling wind before eyes on. The fourth morning, I had to head back S to Kevin and Lindi’s, as I had promised them a certain number of days of PG hunting. Francois also did not go out has he had to start getting his dog pack ready for a farm leopard hunt that would be starting the next day. As luck would have it, the clients did get their elephant this morning. An old, old bull with broken tusks and deep into his last set of molars. Unfortunately, I don’t have any details of the actual events other than it required two of the Rigbys to get involved.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/bZsLLNN6/Citi-Ele.jpg[/img]

All in all, my general impression was this could be a very, very good hunt. Especially at the price point they have them set at. Granted, the ivory is not in the same size as generally available over near the Okavango. The largest taken from CT27 the last two years has been 65±lbs with the average running 40-45. But, then too, those Okavango hunts are going for at least twice the price, plus. Both the Kwadiwa Lodge and their new Fish Eagle Lodge facilities are terrific. From what Gerhard tells me, the other smaller lodging they use around the concession area are similar in quality to the Phokoje Bush Lodge and the fact that if non-hunting family come along, there are activities that can be organized to keep them busy as well.

As of this posting, Gerhard and Arno are still negotiating the lease for next year and possibly for the next five consecutive years. Once they have that, I’ll be posting up the info. They also plan on having spaces at the show in Houston and in Nashville this coming year.

As always, feel free to ask if anyone has any questions about these hunts or Botswana travel etc.

Cross Link to the PG part of the trip.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...swana-late-aug-2022-pg-hunt#Post17716553

Last edited by M3taco; 10/20/22.
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I didn’t realize Bots had reopened leopard hunting with dogs. That’s great. I hunted one with dogs back in about 2007 bordering the Central Kalahari Game Reserve southwest of Maun. A close range charge there was the norm. Dropped mine 10’ off the barrel with 12 gauge SSG as it made a run at me. Nice to see Bots getting back to normal after Ian Khama shut things down.

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Yep. Cats and dogs just seem to naturally go together there. LOL.

I've never been on or with him on one of his leopard with dogs hunts. He has shown me videos of them. Some of them sere seriously up close and personal!! Once he showed me several years ago was before hunting was closed in Bots. They were in bakkie that had an open type cab. Driver and dog handler in the front seats and the client and Gerhard in the high seats behind, with the guy taking the video standing behind the client over his shoulder.

The hounds had a cat bayed up in some very thick thorn bushes off the left front corner of the bakkie. When the cat broke from cover, it came up over the front fender, got a claw into the shoulder of the driver as it was heading straight for the client. Luckily, the client was able to get a shot off with the 12ga held kind of at the half ready with the muzzle on the chest of the cat. Cat was still able to rake the clients left forearm a bit as the shot when off. Gerhard said EVERYONE had to change their pants after that!!

He also showed me the video of the cat they had just taken before I arrived. Cat was up in a bit of a cave that was maybe 40m from the truck. Dogs all around the mouth of the cave. When the cat broke cover, it came out like a rocket past the dogs and straight at the bakkie. Client opened up with the rifle and Gerhard with the 12ga. Stopped it at maybe 5m from the truck. The speed that cat moved was unbelievable.

I understand that one advantage of using hounds is you may be able to be a bit more selective on the cat. If its a female or young tom, the dogs can be called off. However, even with dogs a cat is not guaranteed.

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Nothing like having a pack of dogs to get a cat fired up, full of adrenaline and ready to fight😳 🐆


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