Big game hunting in South Africa is well worth the trip

“It’s a target rich environment for a big game hunter, I saw up to 400 big game animals every day I hunted,” said Chris Rhoden, a southeast Wisconsin resident. “I had chances to shoot almost ten different species of big game that were not on my list, including seeing a truly world class cape buffalo that the outfitter didn’t want to hunt for a year or two yet.”

Rhoden was talking about his trip to South Africa the end of last August into the beginning of September in which he desired to hunt eight species of big game. He also saw 16 other game animals that he didn’t intend to hunt and encountered a black mamba. “I can cross that off the list, don’t need to see one again.”

“I chose to walk for hunting, so we left our vehicles and started searching on foot,” Rhoden told me. “Once we located an animal I wanted to hunt, we would start stalking. Often times you come across another species on your list or the PH (professional hunter) says ‘hey do you want a giraffe?’ to which I would reply ‘no.’” “Sometimes those animals (the species you don’t want to hunt) scent you and spook your quarry. But the thing about Africa I found is the wind switches and the impalas you’re stalking run off and immediately your PH says ‘oh, do you hear those zebras? Let’s go!’ and a short time later you bag a zebra, it’s kind of crazy how many zebra there were.”

“After I harvested my kudu, my PH told me that he didn’t think I realized what I harvested,” Rhoden told me. “He said it was a truly magnificent animal. I was feeling pretty good about the day since that was my second animal that day.” Rhoden also harvested a nyala and sable on the trip. They hunted a concession about 30 kilometers west of the famed Kruger National Park in South Africa, which is over twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. “There aren’t really a lot of elephant on the concession we hunted, but there were a lot of rhinoceros. Everyone cuts them a wide berth.” They hunted at about 6,500 feet of elevation making the temperatures more moderated compared to other areas of Africa. The hunters took a day off from hunting to tour Kruger National Park. “Kruger is very much worthy of a two day excursion,” Rhoden reiterated many times over the week we spent hunting together this past fall. “I would highly recommend allocating two full days in the park. It’s worthy of it!” Getting ready for a hunt like this obviously involves some preparation. “I hike up to four miles on trails four times a week with a 30 pound pack and carried a hand barbell to simulate carrying a firearm,” he told me. “That allowed me to walk up to eight miles a day in 85 - 93 degree heat without issues.”

Rhoden made ten trips to the range for practice shooting off of sticks. He told me he shot 50-100 rounds with a 22LR at 50 - 100 yards, then 3 - 5 rounds with his hunting rifles. Like everyone over the past several years going on a bucket list big game hunt, ammunition availability and cost presented challenges.

He told me that this prepared him for the shooting he encountered on the safari. He killed one animal at 60 yards, with the other three reaching out to a 190 - 230 yards, all made from off the shooting sticks.

His hunting group traveled with their spouses. Each couple had their own chalet, with daily service and laundry. “You can pack light for this trip and spend over a week with only four or five changes of clothing and a few extra items like a fleece and rain slicker,” he told me.

“The staff at the camp work very hard for us,” Rhoden went on. “Including dinners of mostly game including impala, zebra, kudu, cape buffalo, and they always served a delicious dessert. They packed lunches for the hunters and the spouses for their daily excursions and served an American style breakfast.” Rhoden told me the interactions with staff provided one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole trip. “They really worked hard for us,” he said.

I asked if he enjoyed the trip enough to justify the time and cost involved.

“We’re planning a return trip in 2025, if that answers your question,” was his reply.

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