ReferencesArticle by Africas Bowhunter and Acher May 2007 - By Nelius MostertWhen George Potgieter, owner of Schoongezicht safari's, called me on that extra busy Thursday afternoon, and invited me to come and visit him for a weekend at Kudu lodge, I knew that this experience will be remembered for a long time to come.On arrival George and Eddie, the PH and manager, greeted me with a burning camp-fire and warm handshakes and immediately I felt at home. Without wasting any time I had a cold drink in hand and we were talking the night away with stories on hunting and the wild lands we love so much. Later we were treated with cuisine of five star qualities by my host and his lady friend, Jenny. Kudu lodge, where we stayed, present a huge luxury entertainment area that can accommodate up to fourteen hunters, including on suite bathrooms, pool table, DSTV, swimming pool and great skinning and butchery facilities with a huge cold room, which is ideal for big hunting parties and corporate hunting groups. These are placed on 1500ha of the loveliest piece of bushveldt you can find. That night dreaming were easy, and waking up even easier. We decided to rise at 05:30, but I was up at five already, shooting target and enjoying the second best thing, my first cup of coffee. We started on a game drive and George showed me all the hides and the lay-out of his ranch, and I noticed how well George kept things here. All the roads are in excellent condition, and a team of workers keep the ever present "plate thorn" Acacia fleckii Schinz or "geelhaak" at base. From spoor and sights, I knew there were game in abundance. At the end of the hunting season, and animals were lazily looking at us from all over the place, even at the end of the hunting season, a season where the clients of Schoongezicht harvested 600 animals, some with rifle and some with bow and arrow, and all because of good control. What became obvious was the fact that animals were not afraid of the vehicles at all, and that made me promise next time I will bring my wife and our daughter with. Schoongezicht safaris cater for rifle-hunters as well as bow-hunters. And to make it work, George let the rifle-hunters only hunt until end of July. No rifles may be used near water holes, which is were the hides are. Schoongezicht proudly present the bowhunter with an excellent coverage of seven great elevated hides and three pit-blinds, all within comfortable range of totally controllable water holes. One of which is a luxury pit blind of 4x5 meter thatched roof, equipped with septic toilet, build in bed, four shooting hatches, camera hatch and one way glass. From there we drove through two gates just over the road, and onto "Looplaagte", a 900ha piece of land that also makes part of Schoongezicht safari. Here I saw the same care and maintenance as on Kudu Lodge, but what surprised me was the beautifully placed tent-camp with its own slaughtering facilities and cold room. I was surprised at the creativity and luxury you can enjoy in a canvas tent. From an on suite bathroom with the trees as roof, to full electrical comfort and a lovely lapa, overlooking a water hole and feeding spot. That afternoon Eddie and I sat in an elevated hide on Looplaagte, to see if I could end the dry season and shoot my first warthog. The views were superb and we were treated with all sorts of animals visiting the water hole, including two "Western Redfooted Falcons" Falco vespertinus and a Leguan. But again, no warthog presented me a chance to change my luck. I took some beautiful photos though, especially of the sunset. Just as I put the camera away, Eddie tapped on my shoulder and pointed to a jackal that came in at last light. As I knew that there wouldn't be any warthog coming in after sunset, I felt the excitement immediately, for this was the first chance I had on this species as well. I took the jackal at seventeen yards with Geelslang, my hickory self bow, and it expired at about 50 yards. Around the campfire, I shared the excitement with Eddie as we relived the adventures of the day. What impressed me was the fact that I could have harvested such a wide collection of animals, were I not waiting for warthog. The next day we tried a pit blind on Kudu camp, under a canopy of trees right next to a water hole. The setting of this thoroughly built hide made for astonishing game-viewing. Within 15 minutes, three kudu bulls walked right in and I had the privilege to enjoy their company from an average of three yards. So much so that I could make out their eye lashes. I harvested an impala that morning at six yards and I had the opportunity to harvest another four species of game, so the hides work lovely. Eddie and I went to Schoongezigt that afternoon, a beautiful piece of land and the apple of the owner's eye. This is where George started with Schoongezicht safaris and I could see why. I think it has something to do with the river on its border, but the trees on this 1000ha camp were quite larger than on Looplaagte and Kudu lodge. I saw some great trophy's in the likes of eland, kudu, impala, warthog, blesbuck and waterbuck. Giraffe was present as well. This side of Schoongezicht presents the hunter with a refurbished farmhouse that caters for twelve hunters with air conditioning, skinning facilities, cold room and a lovely lapa. These facilities give me the romantic idea of old hunting buddies that have an annual hunting date, and always at the same place. For as I walked through, these neat buildings invited me to sit down and be at home. At the far end, right next to the border and overlooking a riverbed, George built a double story log-home with a swimming pool. Exactly the place you would think of to hold your second honeymoon. He called it Fish Eagle lodge, for this lovely bird is also the most frequent visitor on site, giving a special atmosphere to the place with its call to Africa. Eddie and I sat in blinds for three sessions on that weekend and I harvested a jackal and an impala. But if I wanted to I could have shot kudu, eland on two occasions, impala on another occasion, blue wildebeest on two occasions, warthog sows on two occasions, zebra, a lot of guinea fowl and francolin. To be able to harvest ten animals presenting six species in less than a weekend is most definitely impressive, in peak time for a bow hunter. But this all happened during November 2006. Will Schoongezicht see me again? Already has, and most definitely yes! This is a place where memories can be made; trophies get hunted and evening fires burn high under perfect skies. See "Bowhunting opportunities" in Africa's Bowhunter and Archer. Where do I start praising the operation? The facilities were first rate, with clean and comfortable rooms. The food, ahh the food. I know that despite hunting hard all day, I gained weight on the tasty and filling dishes that were prepared for us. The wonderful evenings spent around the fire were relaxing, enjoyable and the start of wonderful friendships. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and skilled. When I made a "less than perfect" shot on a nice impala ram, I thought it was lost. George called in a tracker and one of his apprentice guides. They found that impala, tracking it where I couldn't find any sign the animal had passed through the area. I believe that those two could track an ant across an asphalt parking lot! Which brings me to the animals available. In our limited time, we saw impala, kudu, zebra, gemsbok (oryx), warthog, steenbuck, blue wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and even a family of giraffe. It truly is a plains game hunter's paradise, the animals were healthy, fat and sassy, abundant and totally wild. I believe too that Schoongezicht and the surrounding properties is an upland bird hunter's dream. You wouldn't believe the numbers of dove, francolin and guinea fowl seen while waiting in the hides (blinds) at the waterholes. I should have brought a shotgun with me. We left Schoongezicht with two fine impala rams and a potential Roland Ward Record book blue wildebeest taken by my son. I didn't get my kudu bull, but that was my fault, and after all, it IS hunting. The animals are there, but they are wild, and not always easy to get. That's what makes it so fun! My experience at Schoongezicht was a very positive one, filled with fun, excitement and happy memories. My son Jim grins ear to ear whenever we talk about our adventure in South Africa, and he is already planning his return. While my wife chose not to hunt on this trip, she too has nothing but fond memories of her stay as well. She found the whole experience enjoyable as she is an avid nature photographer. She was absolutely giddy with the variety of birds and other animals to shoot with her camera. I am looking forward to my return, just as soon as I can. And this time, Janet will be hunting too. Steve, Janet and Jim Huber Rhinelander, Wisconsin, United States of America Editor Outdoorfrontiers www.outdoorfrontiers.com My opinion of Schoongezicht on a scale of 1-10 is you get a 10 which is the best.You and your crew saw to it that all requests for personal comfort were met during my entire hunt. Accomodations were very clean, and comfortable, with plenty of that good African Food which is absolutely delicious; After all I did not want to go there to eat pizza and hot dogs. Prices were very fair when you consider the size of the trophies which all exceed SCI qualifications. It was also outstanding in the hunting which involves tracking the animals, and the fair chase involved. Personal safety involved in the hunt ranging from accommodations to making sure the game is dead, and danger from creatures such as snakes and other vermin was looked after by the entire crew. I thank you for a very satisfying hunt, and the beautiful animals you allowed me to harvest. Dick Pelc (USA) Schoongezicht Hunting Safaris provided me with an outstanding hunting experience. The hunt was completely hassle free and enjoyable from the time I was picked up at the airport. I hunted Kudu and Impala and harvested a very nice kudu bull and 2 impala rams including a 27" ram. I did not hit the large ram cleanly and lost its trail, however the Schoongezicht trackers followed the ram for 2 hours and located it. There is a great selection of game on the farm with many species to choose from and the guides quickly identify which animals are the best trophies. I hunted using the walk and stalk technique which I greatly enjoy for its challange and the chance to actively stalk wild game in the Africa bushveld. Although I am not a bowhunter yet, I had the opportunity see the excellent bowhunting facilities on the farm and to watch 2 sucessful bowhunts. The hunting lodge is the nicest I've stayed in and overlooks a wetland which provides the opportunity for birdwatching and game viewing during meals. The chance to see kingfishers diving and hear the cry of the fish eagle during a late breakfast is wonderful after a morning of hunting. I plan to go back and hunt for Zebra and Wildebeest. Brent Babb (Columbia, USA) |
