What a week…its been hectic here…

13th Feb 2010

This past week has been an ongoing preparation for our season starting in March. Areas are being scouted and waterholes checked, vehicles are being stripped and the office is trying to gather as much outstanding information as possible for our hunts this season.

Miles and miles of sand dunes running down to an unspoilt and wild Indian Ocean.

And when you thought there couldn’t be more dunes, there were more and more miles…

Saturday saw us exploring our Surf Fishing options along our stretch of coast on the Indian Ocean. Surf Fishing is something new we’re trying to launch to The Safari World of John X Safaris. Like most fishing it’s a game of patience, but when the going gets good, it’s very exciting, and the view makes it all the worthwhile. Fellow Professional Hunter, Juan MacDonald, decided to take us on the scenic route and spend the evening camping on the beach. Our plan was to target White Steenbras, Cob and Bartman, and hoping to stay away from the ever prowling sharks.

Fellow PH and good friend, Juan MacDonald, showing us his favourite spots in his backyard.

We enjoyed a great evening with reasonable success. Between us we landed in the region of 30 Sand Sharks,6 Steenbrass,1 Bartman, 3 Cob and a bunch of Duck Bill Ray’s. An afternoon or early morning Surf Fishing trip is something we all felt would be highly recommended to any hunters who may have finished their safaris early and wanted to enjoy a bit of fishing while enjoying our unspoilt beaches. A worthwhile trip and one I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about.

Juan with 2 fair fish, a Bartman on the left and a Cob on the right.

An ever impressive Duck Bill Ray I caught early the next morning.

Most of our areas have had rain, and strangely, our drier Northern Areas have had some of the best rain in years while our Coastal Areas still battle with the ongoing drought. The game is holding out, but rain is desperately needed to fill dams for drinking water. This past week showed good signs of heavy rain only to dissipate into lighting displays on the horizon. Tuesday evenings lighting display struck our neighbors and started a fire that has lasted for most of the week. In the process, 10 000 Acres of habitat has been lost with most of the damage occurring in the North of our property. Rain is now needed more than ever, as it’s the only way the country side could recover by winter and carry the game through to next summer.

Fires lighting up the night.

Scenes of the country side at 3am in the morning.

Next weeks forecast looks good, with rain predicted for most of the week. Lets hope it arrives and turns our country side into paradise!

For those of you who may still be interested in a safari this season, there has been a postponing of 2 hunts from middle May to later in the season. If there are any hunters interested in these prime Kudu rut dates, please don’t hesitate to contact us. The dates available are from 6-22 May 2010.