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Dear Friends, I always count my lucky blessings when I visit our magical Kalahari concession! I am so fortunate to be able to take my family to such spectacular wilderness areas, because of what I do for a living. This Easter, Sarah, Emily, Caleb (my wife, daughter and son) and I along with some friends took the 625 mile drive to our Kalahari Concession, to enjoy some tranquillity and quality family time. We are extremely fortunate and privileged to have the run of this phenomenal area on safaris with our clients and for family vacations.
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We wallowed in the splendour of this destination for a week and despite the fact that this is actually my office, the Kalahari never ceases to amaze me. The stunning beauty of the land at this time of year is breath-taking. The brightly coloured Kalahari flowers cover the landscape, sometimes as far as you can see. The acacia trees are greener than green and the grass literally oozes sustenance for the wildlife which cover the expansive plains. The weather and temperatures are perfect at this time of year and I wish I could convince more clients to come on safari during the months of March and April. We enjoyed superb sightings of lions, (including three playful 4 month old cubs), White Rhino, endangered African Wild
Dogs, Elephant, Cape Buffalo (some super old bulls) Cheetah and Black Rhino, not to mention the thousands of plains game species we saw on a daily basis. I saw an old kudu bull south of Sebudu Pan that would make most hunters froth at the mouth! I hope he hangs around………!!
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I allowed my hunting crazy son and daughter to each hunt one animal on this trip. Emily took a stunning Zebra with a 30-06 at 175 meters with a perfect heart shot and my son Caleb finally managed to take a grand old springbok ram with his 243 at 155 meters. Last year Caleb was jinxed by springbok despite putting in a huge effort. The last stalk we made this time last year was ruined at the last second (literally as he was squeezing the trigger) by wild dogs which tore through the springbok herd we had crept up to. The dogs chased the springbok right past us and it was a sight to behold. The hunt was ruined but the sighting was unique and neither Caleb or I will ever forget it. Needless to say Caleb was a very
happy chap when he downed his springbok this time. My wife Sarah, who normally hunts with a bow these days, took a fine 41” gemsbok bull at 140 meters with our 30-06.
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I am the designated professional hunter, photographer & tour guide on our family trips to the bush and there is nothing I enjoy more than sharing the great outdoors with my family. Wherever we go, we have our bird and mammal books handy and on trips like these we try to identify new birds and tick them off in our family bird book. We recap on animal tracks and details and Emily and Caleb thrive on their daily “fun tests” which include questions around the campfire such as: Name 5 spiral horned species? Which vulture species is the largest and dominates carcasses over other vultures? Name the small blueish coloured raptor we saw today and what does it eat? Why does the Red
Crested Koran male fly straight up like a rocket to about 20 meters and then fold its wings and drop like it’s been shot? Which Kalahari bird species parasites Finches nests? How do you tell if a tortoise is a male or a female?. The list goes on, and while this is super fun, most importantly they are learning all the time. I know that my children already share my passion for the great outdoors and everything that lives there and I know that one day when they have their own children, this passion will be passed on.
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All of us at Coenraad Vermaak Safaris are excited about the 2016 season. Please visit our website and go to our gallery page. The Wildlife and Safari Life galleries have been updated with stunning new pictures. We have a busy year ahead and our first hunters arrived in camp last week. We will be sending frequent safari reports as well as other interesting news. We thank our old and new friends for all the support over the past 46 years and we reamin “dedicated to exceeding your expectations through exceptional personal service & the wise sustainable use of wildlife through ethical and responsible hunting for the benefit of conservation.” Happy Hunting to you all!
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With best personal regards, Hans Vermaak and the CVS Team
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Coenraad Vermaak Safaris P O Box 1084, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Tel: +27 33 8159604 Email: info@cvsafaris.co.za / hans@cvsafaris.co.za
Website: www.cvsafaris.co.za Copyright 2016 Coenraad Vermaak Safaris. All rights reserved.
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