This 15 minute video gives you a great look into hunting in the Free State in South Africa. I hunted with the professionals at Likhulu Safaris a couple of years ago and had a great time!
I love to hunt and at the end of the day… Enjoy a great meal made from whatever we found. Some animals were fixed in an old South African Braii… Others like my Red Hartebeest became Hartebeest Schnitzel ( chicken fried steak ).
I would like to thank Likhulu Safaris Matt, Jacklyn, Chris and “J” for making my Free State experience truly memorable !
My quest to experience a great ‘Braai”( similar to our barbecue) and travel to South Africa on “Chefari” started with a few comments and experiences of my daughters. Karen had an internship in South Africa and brought back some “biltong” ( a South African meat Jerky) made of Kudu and some from Springbok. I was intrigued. My eldest daughter Kristin is a fan of Chef Gordon Ramsey who is known to raise or hunt his own food, which I can personally identify. Karla thinks I should just find something edible and go to it!
Well, some folks can just grab their equipment , passport and head off on adventure; however, taking the time to plan out one’s trek is worth the effort. Needless to say, I had a few things to do before I leave. I needed a professional hunter and found one via Friends of the NRA… Likhulu Safari! Also, I needed a particular rifle for this trip and purchased an Interarms Mark X 375 caliber. Recently, I upgraded the scope to one from Swarovski Optik that I had a chance to inspect at a recent SFI Convention. Oh yes, I bought some boots from an excellent South African store called M Gordon Footwear!
Going to South Africa is getting very easy for Americans because all you need is a passport for most visits. Hunters need import permits from South African and a permit to bring your rifle back into the states from Homeland Security. No particular inoculations are needed to enter South Africa, unless you are entering from a country where various diseases are problematic.
My daughter Karen provided a number of wonderful suggestions on her blog on things to think about before you take your trip:
Boys and Girls, I am now going to tell you a story much like Chef Gordon Ramsay might do… but without the required expletives. Steaks do not come a steak tree, turkeys are not grown without heads and virtually everything that we prefer to eat once roamed, flew or swam somewhere. Oh yes, they may have also slithered or slimed there way along.
The article I wrote for a local on-line news service is on the joy of hunting for a great meal and how it can go from the wild to your dinning table. Although I am a hunter, I never thought I would have the opportunity to go on a Safari for really large game… but thanks to well timed events… here I go!