Pete Safaris

PRICE INCLUDES
An unforgettable hunting experience in Africa
Trophy fees on mentioned animals
All accommodation and catering, incl. beer, wine and soft drinks
Arrival and departure day
Transport to/from airport
All other transportation for the duration of the safari
Services of a Professional Hunter
Services of trackers and skinners
Services of camp staff
Laundry service
Field preparation and salting of trophies/skins
Delivery of trophies to taxidermist
All applicable taxes
All applicable licenses

PRICE EXCLUDES
Airline tickets to/from South Africa
Taxidermy work and shipping
Gratuities for staff

– “No hit – no pay concept”
– Extra animals can be added to package during hunt 

Kudu:

Hunting kudu remains on the top of the list for just about every hunter who comes to Africa. He is probably second only to the impala as Africa’s most sought-after plains game trophy. The kudu is a big antelope with a stately bearing. He is strikingly beautiful, with long spiral horns that set him apart from all other of the antelope species. The ‘grey ghost’, as he has been nicknamed, sports a coat of pale-grey to brownish-grey with white vertical stripes down the flank. He has a distinctive white chevron marking between his eyes, which set off the very long spiral horns carried only by the bulls. Kudu cows look very similar to the males and, while they lack horns, their ears are quite prominent and beautiful. Both sexes display white beneath the tail and have a conspicuous hump on the shoulder. Hunting kudu is best accomplished in the bushveld, where leaves, fresh sprouts, seedpods, and fresh grass are abundant.

The kudu tends to browse in the early morning and late afternoon, usually resting during the heat of the day. Like many of the antelope species, this majestic giant tends to form family groups of 6 to 12 individuals; mostly cows and calves, with the bulls only joining the herd during mating season. The bulls form bachelor herds or become solitary. This is a graceful animal in flight and extremely athletic; he can jump remarkably high for his size. In spite of those long horns, the bulls can travel at great speeds through the bush by laying their horns low along their backs. Hunting kudu can be extremely challenging, as the ‘ghost’ is very sly and extremely elusive with exceptional senses. Look for spoor around pans and water holes as he drinks regularly and will never be far from water. Because the depth of the curl of individual bulls’ horns can vary so much, trophy assessment can be difficult.

Impala:

Hunting impala is on the agenda for just about every hunter who sets foot on the ‘dark continent’. The rooibok (red buck), as he is known in Afrikaans, is the bread and butter antelope of Southern Africa. He is commonly used for camp meat, bait for leopard, and just to ‘cut the teeth’ of the new African hunter. This graceful, medium-sized antelope is a sociable herd animal that frequents open woodlands, the bushveld, and the mopane scrub. Both a browser and a grazer, he will never venture far from water, as he must drink daily. The lyre-shaped horns are only carried by the rams, but the herd’s propensity to bunch together in the dense brush can make it easy to make a mistake. 

Hunting impala is best accomplished in the autumn rut when the best rams are usually found within the breeding herds. Be aware of the rooibok’s keen sense of hearing and smell, not to mention his superb eyesight which all account for the need to make cautious and calculated stalks if you intend to “close the deal” on this quarry. A couple more tips regarding hunting impala: he is most active during the cooler times of the day (early morning and later in the afternoon). Consider an ambush near known feeding areas. Exercise great caution when hunting impala, as when alarmed, they will herd tightly together, making it easy to shoot more than one with a single shot. 

Springbuck:

The springbok is probably the only true gazelle found in the sub-region of Southern Africa. These beautiful little antelopes inhabit the more western reaches of Southern Africa. Once their numbers were in the millions, however, today they are confined mostly to the game reserves and game ranches. Both the males and females of this unmistakable little gazelle carry horns, the ewe’s horns being somewhat shorter and more slender. 

The national animal of South Africa, his name means “jump buck”, an accurate description of his pogo-stick style of jumping when alarmed. This social herd animal is at home on dry, semi-desert, open grasslands, including the Kalahari. He is both a grazer and a browser and not dependent on water, although he will drink daily if water is available. When hunting springbok, trophy evaluation can be very difficult; as mentioned, both rams and ewes carry horns, and herds can be very large and thus hard to approach with all those eyes and ears trained on the hunter. Because of his phenomenal eyesight and his natural paranoia with regard to being approached, if you try to walk and stalk this little antelope, be prepared to do some crawling while hunting springbok. Try setting up ambushes on the approaches to feeding areas and pans, or even physical barriers such as fences. 

If you can approach in open terrain within 250 meters, you are doing well and best take your shot. The flat-shooters will be the ticket when hunting springbok. Look to calibers that will propel a 120-grain expanding bullet in excess of 2600 fps.

Blesbuck

The blesbuck lives on the open plains of the South African highveld. Primarily grazers, they form herds consisting of females (ewes) and juveniles, while the males (rams) tend to be solitary when not in the rut. The neck and top of the back is brown, darker on the flanks with a white belly. A small white blaze on the forehead and a larger blaze below is usually divided between the eyes. With both sexes carrying horns, care must be taken when hunting blesbuck. Listen to your professional hunter and be carefull not to shoot the wrong specimen when looking at a herd.

The best time for hunting blesbuck is while they are grazing in the morning or late afternoon. Like many other species, they tend to lay-up during the hottest part of the afternoon.

The blesbok shares a common behavioral characteristic with his cousin the bontebok – that of standing together with heads facing toward the sun and faces low to the ground. He sometimes shakes his head violently, stamps and runs in a complete circle only to resume his original place. As available water is essential to this specie, hunting blesbok near the approaches to water holes can prove productive.

This once near-extinct antelope has been reintroduced on the game farms of southern Africa and boasts a population somewhere in the hundreds of thousands.

Calibers like the .270 or 30-06 give excellent results for longer shots out on the plains. While hunting blesbok in the bush, you may want to select a heavy-for-caliber round nose bullet. Place your shot by following the centerline of the fore-leg about one third up into the body, which will strike the top of the heart and the lungs. If this does not drop him, he will not go far.

PRICE INCLUDES
An unforgettable hunting experience in Africa
Trophy fees on mentioned animals
All accommodation and catering, incl. beer, wine and soft drinks
Arrival and departure day
Transport to/from airport
All other transportation for the duration of the safari
Services of a Professional Hunter
Services of trackers and skinners
Services of camp staff
Laundry service
Field preparation and salting of trophies/skins
Delivery of trophies to taxidermist
All applicable taxes
All applicable licenses

PRICE EXCLUDES
Airline tickets to/from South Africa
Taxidermy work and shipping
Gratuities for staff

– “No hit – no pay concept”
– Extra animals can be added to package during hunt 

Kudu:

Hunting kudu remains on the top of the list for just about every hunter who comes to Africa. He is probably second only to the impala as Africa’s most sought-after plains game trophy. The kudu is a big antelope with a stately bearing. He is strikingly beautiful, with long spiral horns that set him apart from all other of the antelope species. The ‘grey ghost’, as he has been nicknamed, sports a coat of pale-grey to brownish-grey with white vertical stripes down the flank. He has a distinctive white chevron marking between his eyes, which set off the very long spiral horns carried only by the bulls. Kudu cows look very similar to the males and, while they lack horns, their ears are quite prominent and beautiful. Both sexes display white beneath the tail and have a conspicuous hump on the shoulder. Hunting kudu is best accomplished in the bushveld, where leaves, fresh sprouts, seedpods, and fresh grass are abundant.

The kudu tends to browse in the early morning and late afternoon, usually resting during the heat of the day. Like many of the antelope species, this majestic giant tends to form family groups of 6 to 12 individuals; mostly cows and calves, with the bulls only joining the herd during mating season. The bulls form bachelor herds or become solitary. This is a graceful animal in flight and extremely athletic; he can jump remarkably high for his size. In spite of those long horns, the bulls can travel at great speeds through the bush by laying their horns low along their backs. Hunting kudu can be extremely challenging, as the ‘ghost’ is very sly and extremely elusive with exceptional senses. Look for spoor around pans and water holes as he drinks regularly and will never be far from water. Because the depth of the curl of individual bulls’ horns can vary so much, trophy assessment can be difficult.

Zebra

The Burchell’s zebra is distinguished from the other zebra species by several pattern features. First and foremost are the shadow stripes, which occur within the broad white stripes found on the hindquarters. They also lacks the grid-iron pattern and the dewlap, which is typical on the other species. The zebra forms small herds, usually 8 to 10 in number, consisting of a stallion, several mares and their foals. Surplus males are ejected from the herd and form bachelor herds.
When hunting zebra, sex is often not specified on the permits, as sex determination is very difficult. However males will generally be slightly larger and have broader necks. Many professional hunter has shot a stallion that instantly became a mare once downed.
Zebra favors the open woodlands and grassy savanna. They avoid the thick bushveld and if alerted, the stallion will most often trail the herd as they flee. He will often stop and look back, which could turn out as a good chance for you. When approaching water, the stallion will most often be in the lead, and when grazing, he will usually stay on the outskirts of the herd. Zebra is always found where water is abundant, drinks regularly and cannot take advantage of grazing if water is not available. Their main enemy is the lion and they will actively defend the herd, kicking violently and ganging up on any attackers.
If it is the flat skin you are after, be advised that the old stallions will most likely be battle-scarred and worn. Look for a younger male or a mare if a nice clear hide is what you seek. Hunting zebra is best in the early morning or late afternoon.

Springbuck:

The springbok is probably the only true gazelle found in the sub-region of Southern Africa. These beautiful little antelopes inhabit the more western reaches of Southern Africa. Once their numbers were in the millions, however, today they are confined mostly to the game reserves and game ranches. Both the males and females of this unmistakable little gazelle carry horns, the ewe’s horns being somewhat shorter and more slender. 

The national animal of South Africa, his name means “jump buck”, an accurate description of his pogo-stick style of jumping when alarmed. This social herd animal is at home on dry, semi-desert, open grasslands, including the Kalahari. He is both a grazer and a browser and not dependent on water, although he will drink daily if water is available. When hunting springbok, trophy evaluation can be very difficult; as mentioned, both rams and ewes carry horns, and herds can be very large and thus hard to approach with all those eyes and ears trained on the hunter. Because of his phenomenal eyesight and his natural paranoia with regard to being approached, if you try to walk and stalk this little antelope, be prepared to do some crawling while hunting springbok. Try setting up ambushes on the approaches to feeding areas and pans, or even physical barriers such as fences. 

If you can approach in open terrain within 250 meters, you are doing well and best take your shot. The flat-shooters will be the ticket when hunting springbok. Look to calibers that will propel a 120-grain expanding bullet in excess of 2600 fps.

PRICE INCLUDES
An unforgettable hunting experience in Africa
All accommodation and catering, incl. beer, wine and soft drinks
Arrival and departure day
Transport to/from airport
All other transportation for the duration of the safari
Services of a Professional Hunter
Services of trackers and skinners
Services of camp staff
Laundry service
Field preparation and salting of trophies/skins
Delivery of trophies to taxidermist
All applicable taxes
All applicable licenses

PRICE EXCLUDES
Airline tickets to/from South Africa
Taxidermy work and shipping
Gratuities for staff

– “No hit – no pay concept”
– Extra animals can be added to package during hunt 

This exiting hunt will take place at the coastal areas of The Eastern Cape. The hunting will be a mix of driven hunts with dogs, hunting from blinds over bait and walk & stalk. 

Bushpig

The bush pig is the African equivalent of the European wild boar. He also bears similarities to the feral hogs, common in many areas of the US. While he tends to be somewhat smaller than both his European or North American counterparts, he shares the same nasty disposition and aggressive behavior, common to most wild members of the swine family. The bush pig is an extremely hairy animal which resembles the domestic hog. His color varies from grey-brown to dark brown which becomes even darker as he ages.

His sharp tusks are relatively short when compared to his cousin, the warthog, and he lacks the facial warts. In addition, his snout is much more narrow and his ears more pointed. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and they reside in groups of 6 to 12 with a dominant male and female and several other females and juveniles.

Hunting bush pig will take you to the thickets and dense underbrush, where they lay-up during the daylight hours. They are most likely best hunted during the night over bait, as this is the time where they are most active.

Caracal

The caracal, or ‘rooikat’ (red cat) as he is known in Afrikaans, is a relatively small lynx-like creature, a bit like North America’s bobcat. He is stockier than his close cousin (the Serval) and his fur varies from light red to a rather dark brick red. He is characterized by a rather short tail and prominent, distinct tufts on the ends of his ears. Males and females are relatively the same size. Primarily a nocturnal creature, he can sometimes be spotted during daylight hours on cool days. The rooikat preys mainly on birds, small mammals and reptiles, but has also been known to take medium-sized antelope such as the duiker or steenbuck.

Here in The Eastern Cape, hunting the caracal is more often done during the day by using dogs, which will pick up his sent and chase him into a three – A very exiting hunt. A spotlight at night over bait can sometimes be effective. Predator calls can also be employed and can be an effective method to getting this wary feline to show himself.

Bushbuck

The bushbuck is the smallest member of the spiral-horned antelope. He is medium-sized and dark reddish-brown with white spots on the rump, against the legs, at the base of the neck, and just below the throat. Hunting the bushbuck can be a real challenge, as he is shy and extremely elusive. For the most part solitary, he prefers riverine forest and dense thickets always near a water source, as he must drink on a daily basis. Primarily a browser, he feeds during the night or early morning and late afternoon on leaves, grass, branches, flowers and fruit.

Weighing in at between 80 to 140 pounds, only the males carry horns and mature bucks are considerably larger and usually darker in color than the female of the species. When spooked, his alarm signal is a loud, hoarse, dog-like bark. Hunting bushbuck can be very similar to hunting the American white-tailed deer; still-hunting can be very productive, or one might try moving quietly through the bush, probing the dense cover, always being cognizant of the wind direction.

Warthog

The warthog is a rather common member of the wild pig clan. A distant cousin of the European boar, he is a popular trophy with many safari clients. He favors open ground, grasslands, water holes and pans, and will often be seen in the open woodlands. He especially likes to graze on the newly sprouted grass of a burned out area. The name comes from the wart-like protrusions on his face; two on the female and four on the male. Tusks vary in size, but can become very long on the female and often curve high over the snout. The constant meshing of the upper and lower tusks against each other keep them razor sharp, making the warthog a dangerous adversary.They live most often in deserted antbear dens which they dig out with their hoofs and clear out with their shovel-like snouts. Piglets enter the den head first while the adults back into the burrow. Not dependent on water, the warthog will drink if it is available. Wallowing in the mud is his favorite pastime. The goal for hunting warthog ranges from the trophy tusks and hide to delicious meat and bait for hunting the leopard. One of the toughest of African game, the adult can weigh in at over 250 pounds. This unique member of the swine family is almost an exclusive grazer; not at all territorial, he wanders wherever he pleases. Found in small family groups called “sounders”, mother and piglets stay together for some time (up to 3 years); the boar joins the group for mating.

PRICE INCLUDES
An unforgettable hunting experience in Africa
All accommodation and catering, incl. beer, wine and soft drinks
1 x trophy buffalo bull
Arrival and departure day
Transport to/from airport
All other transportation for the duration of the safari
Services of a Professional Hunter
Services of trackers and skinners
Services of camp staff
Laundry service
Field preparation and salting of trophies/skins
Delivery of trophies to taxidermist
All applicable taxes
All applicable licenses

PRICE EXCLUDES
Airline tickets to/from South Africa
Taxidermy work and shipping
Gratuities for staff

– “No hit – no pay concept”
– Extra animals can be added to package during hunt 

Cape Buffalo

Found all over southern Africa in herds of various sizes, the buffalo can weigh up to 1800 pounds. He is primarily a grazer but an occasional browser who must drink every day. They favor the thick bushveld during the day, leisurely moving and grazing as they go. At night they tend to herd up to protect the young from their archenemy, the lion. Both sexes carry horns, however, the horns of a bull can be quite spectacular in spread, with a deep curl and a solid boss covering the forehead. Cows lack the boss, but can have a very wide spread; in fact, the world record buffalo on file in the Roland Ward record book is a cow with a spread of some 62 inches.

With a well-placed shot, a rifle of .375 caliber is minimum recommended. However, a shot from the various 40 calibers provides a more immediate and noticeable effect. Even with a well-placed first shot, once the Cape buffalo is wounded and its adrenalin is flowing, he can be EXTREMELY hard to bring down. It has been said that if your first shot on “Inyati”, as the Zulu people call him, is a bad one, the next 14 will only serve to further annoy him… Remember, when it comes to shot placement and your selection of rifles and bullets, always trust the judgement of your Professional Hunter

Zebra

The Burchell’s zebra is distinguished from the other zebra species by several pattern features. First and foremost are the shadow stripes, which occur within the broad white stripes found on the hindquarters. They also lacks the grid-iron pattern and the dewlap, which is typical on the other species. The zebra forms small herds, usually 8 to 10 in number, consisting of a stallion, several mares and their foals. Surplus males are ejected from the herd and form bachelor herds.
When hunting zebra, sex is often not specified on the permits, as sex determination is very difficult. However males will generally be slightly larger and have broader necks. Many professional hunter has shot a stallion that instantly became a mare once downed.
Zebra favors the open woodlands and grassy savanna. They avoid the thick bushveld and if alerted, the stallion will most often trail the herd as they flee. He will often stop and look back, which could turn out as a good chance for you. When approaching water, the stallion will most often be in the lead, and when grazing, he will usually stay on the outskirts of the herd. Zebra is always found where water is abundant, drinks regularly and cannot take advantage of grazing if water is not available. Their main enemy is the lion and they will actively defend the herd, kicking violently and ganging up on any attackers.
If it is the flat skin you are after, be advised that the old stallions will most likely be battle-scarred and worn. Look for a younger male or a mare if a nice clear hide is what you seek. Hunting zebra is best in the early morning or late afternoon.