With the Limpopo River forming it's northern boundary, the Limpopo Province, situated in the North Eastern part of South Africa is world renowned for extraordinary hunting. After decades of ethical & sustainable use management of the natural wildlife, some great animals are being hunted there today. The area has prime habitat scattered throughout which supports the hunting of a diverse range of plains game including some unique indigenous species & the almighty cape buffalo.
Over the years the Limpopo has produced some remarkable hunting opportunities, it has become somewhat the go-to destination for a global community of hunters that are chasing an ethical African experience in a traditional setting with modern conveniences and great hospitality.
Our hunting concession Renosterpan is situated in the Limpopo and only 15km from the Botswana border. It's a short 3.5 hour north westerly drive from Johannesburg international airport. If the flight you booked arrives early in the morning you will be hunting on the afternoon of your arrival day.
The property is 11,000 hectares which makes it one of the biggest single properties in the area. To put it into perspective, the property is almost as big as the Lerderderg State Park in Victoria. A lot of outfitters will say that they have access to 100,000 acres and they might, but be certain that it won't all be one property like Renosterpan is. A large amount of outfitters in the area ask to hunt on Renosterpan but it is exclusive to Bushveld Hunting Adventures. We are also allowed to hunt on the neighboring properties so when you hunt with us you will have access to more than 20,000 hectares from the moment you leave the hunters lodge.
The terrain and bush can be described as slightly undulated, red sandy, thorn bush with some semi open areas throughout and riverine thickets to the south. The property lends itself to great up close hunting, sneaking through the thorn bush, getting the wind right, stalking in that little bit closer to get a comfortable shot. We try to get within 100m of most animals but we prefer to be within 80m. Some shots can be out to 300m in the open areas but we try not to take those shots unless you are completely comfortable.
The beauty of having the hunters lodge on the property is that it saves you a lot of time traveling and it's much more convenient. Other outfitters will put you up in accommodation where you will be required to travel to the hunting property by tar road, sometimes this can take 45 minutes each way. That means rising 45 minutes earlier and arriving back in camp 45 minutes later of an evening. At Renosterpan you are hunting from the moment you step outside of your private room at the lodge.
At the start of every safari year the tracks are graded and pruned so that travelling around the property is comfortable. We have received positive feedback from clients that have hunted elsewhere about how nice traveling around Renosterpan is and that the property is much larger than they expected. The safari vehicle is very functional and there is always refreshments on board for after a long stalk.
There is a common misconception that hunting in Africa is easy because a hunter can get half a dozen different species on one safari. Or they may have seen footage from non-hunting national parks where the animal will stand quite calmly at 20m from the vehicle, some even believe that because there is a high fence it's easier to hunt. It's certainly not easy to hunt the animals on a property that allows hunting, the animals are already wired to be on edge because of the fact they are being hunted by all sorts of creatures from lion and leopards, hyena, smaller predators like jackal and caracal to crocodiles. Add in hunting pressure by humans and it makes for a very unique and challenging hunting experience. Because Renosterpan is so big in area the high fences don't add any additional advantage to a hunter travelling there, the animals are free to roam the large area and if you mess up a stalk you will be very lucky to see that same animal again for the rest of your safari!
We hunt in a variety of ways to maximize your chances of success and we don't like to waste time not hunting! We will hunt how you would like but there will be times where our Professional Hunters will suggest options for particular species. The animals are most active in the morning and afternoon but they will come to water in the heat of the day. Spot and stalk is the primary way of hunting while the animals are active but sitting and waiting over water is best in the heat of the day. Siting in a blind or hide is quite foreign to some hunters, just remember it is a very effective way of not wasting your precious time. If hunting from a blind doesn't suit you, there is the option to only take photos from the blind or allow the animal to walk away so you can try to stalk it or you can even take a nap at camp if the conditions aren't favorable for stalking.
The professional hunters and support staff are what make a safari in Africa stand out compared to any other destination in the world. Our professional hunters will be more than just your hard working guide, they are your hosts and the hospitality shown is unrivaled. Their effort at making sure you’re comfortable around camp will challenge their excellent field work. There is an unbelievable amount of effort made by the behind the scenes staff to result in a hassle free, seamless safari. There is a chef to prepare and cook your meals, maids to clean your room and do your laundry, skinners and trackers to maximize your hunting time and all of this is included in your $400 day rate. All meals & drinks, cleaning & laundry, accommodation, professional hunter, safari vehicle, skinners & trackers and road transfers all add up to great value for any holiday let alone a hunting safari.
There are over twenty game species on the property including buffalo, rhino, giraffe, zebra, kudu, eland, waterbuck, impala, blesbok, sable, warthog, gemsbok and many more. Through selective game management plans, the trophy quality here is world class. We are consistently exceeding our clients expectations on animal size. Renosterpan has some very good animals roaming around the place but the animals that stand out for me are the large eland and very nice waterbuck.
Renosterpan is unique in the fact that it has a healthy rhino herd roaming about the place. With rhino comes poaching so the property owners have employed a 24/7 anti-poaching unit. You can consider yourself a part of something greater than just hunting a few exotic animals. All of you that visit Renosterpan are directly contributing to saving the worlds rhino population, the continual improvement of the numbers of existing game species, you improve the chances of the introduction of other game species on to the property and increase the prospects of all employees that have jobs because of you.
When you choose to safari at Renosterpan, you are the true definition of conservationist and you know that your hunting dollars are going to the ultimate use. We look forward to welcoming you to Renosterpan contact us today safari@bushveldhuntingadventures.com
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