East Cape Safaris Photo References & Hunting Reports

We had a great time at ECS with Grant and the family. Covey and I talked it over on the way back and agreed that everything was just perfect. We enjoyed the hunt. The food was great and the people were terrific. We saw hundreds of animals everyday and finished out our package early. Still, Grant entertained us and made the trip an adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for your part in making our experience successful.

Covey and I will see you and Grant in Harrisburg in February and will talk up ECS every chance we get.

Larry Horseman



In the past you have made enquiries , via me , regarding hunts for your friends and associates. Look no further! As you know, I have had my own Safari operation, and took my P H ( professional hunter's ) licence back in '92. Since then I have hunted many places with a variety of clientele, and can say without fear of contradiction, that Grant runs the best plains-game operation I have come across. Coupled with that, his facilities , professionalism, hunting/guiding ability, and concern for his clients' well-being and enjoyment, are of the highest standard. What I also appreciate , is his exclusivity . He doesn't mix groups. I first hunted with Grant in 2002, when I took Ray , a Grand Junction , Colorado , gun-smith client there. Since then, Ray has been back on two more occasions, and each year I include a visit to Grant on my hunting calendar. I sent you Grant's contact details, and can re-send if you wish. I can also give you Ray's contact details in Colorado , if you or any of your friends would like to contact him for a reference.

Bruce Stewart



Thanks for providing Sherri and myself with one of the most memorable vacations we have had. The hunting was great and making new friend such as yourself and the rest of your family was exceptional. We too look forward to seeing you again soon.

Scott Albertson



Just a note to thank you for your gracious good care and adventures while we were with you on safari. we really did hate to leave , not only your beautiful country, but mostly you as individuals. You will always remain very dear to us and we hope to visit with you soon again, if not next year the following one. We will see you Grant when you are in for the Sportsmans Show - and I will bring you lunch. Our love and best wishes to all of you. I will be sending a goodie in the near future.

Sharon Roat



April Davis here, we met on the plane last night going home to Boise. I am sending you some pictures and info about my safari experience near Somerset East, South Africa. I'll send another email with a few more pics as well.

My dad and sister had the 10-day, 26 animals of 9 different species package. But once my dad and sister got there and saw the gemsbucks they upgraded (they each got one) and my sister upgraded for a zebra and Kudu Bull. I went along as an observer for the last four hunting days and two sight-seeing days. When I got there, my dad and sister had saved me some animals to shoot from their cull package: three springbucks, a warthog, and a female kudu, plus Grant let me shoot a monkey and a porcupine just for fun (brought home some nice big porcupine quills).

Grant Abrahamson is the safari proprietor (ranch and land owner) and Andrew Harvey was our professional hunter (PH) and let me tell you, if it wasn't for Andrew's dog "Hunter" it would've been extremely hard to find the kudu bull my sister shot do wn when we were hunting in very thick brush. Both Grant and Andrew are professional hunters, they ensured that we got every single animal on our package list plus any others we wanted to upgrade. All you have to do is wait for them to tell you which animal to shoot and when to shoot, they do all the rest. They find the animals for you, they do everything to ensure that you get a clear shot at the animals, the animals are packed - out and loaded in the truck for you, they set up all of your photo opportunities , and prepare the animals for the taxidermist if you want mounts and skins.

When they say all inclusive, they mean it. They picked us up from the airport (if you get in to Port Elizabeth really late or have an early morning departure back home they have a n apartment 10 minutes from the airport). We stayed in the beautiful lodge on their ranch near Somerset East during our entire trip. Every evening when we returned from our hunts the staff had our rooms cleaned and any clothes we left in the dirty clothes hampers were laundered and folded (ani - theft lock boxes provided in all the rooms too). Grant's wife, Sarine, prepared breakfast for us in the mornings, packed lunches for our hunts every day, and made wonderful, home - cooked, traditional South African meals every night that we ate on the covered outdoor patio by the fire.

It has a family friendly atmosphere, Grant and Sarine's children (Anthony and Abbey) helped out with the meals and helped wait on us during social hours and dinner times. We planned for t wo extra days on the tail - end of our trip (non - hunting days for only the cost of the daily lodging rate) to visit Addo National Park, had some leisure down - time sit in the hides to take close - up pictures of plains game, and because we grew fond of Grant's kids we even decided to attend Anthony's rugby game (a nice cultural experience). You truly become part of the family while you're there, including a wonderful, farewell dinner during the last evening at Grant's parents, Anthony Sr. and Beverly's beautiful home.

My dad discovered East Cape Safaris watching Keith Warren's Outdoor Adventures, East Cape Safaris has been featured on the show twice.

I hope you don't mind that I gave Grant your email address to inform him that you might be contacting him. Grant's email address is grant@eastcapesafaris.co.za

Here is the East Cape Safaris website: http://www.eastcapesafaris.co.za

If you do decide to go, please let me know. My dad and I can answer any questions you might have and offer some suggestions about preparing for your safari: flights, paperwork for taking your guns, what to pack, etc. My dad planned our whole trip, so feel free to also email him with questions you might have: Mike Hancock zmilksmail@yahoo.com It was nice meeting you. I hope you do decide to take this trip, it is something every hunter must experience at least once in their lifetime.

April Davis



My name is Mike Hancock. A long time ago and far, far away (at least from California), I played tight end for the 1973 - 76 Washington Redskins footbal l team, back when George Allen was the head coach. My career ended when I broke my left foot against the Dallas Cowboys. (You can look me up online, I'm on the team roster for those years.)

I then went to work in the Insurance Industry and just recently r etired, but still work part time in my own small business for Insurance Agents, doing safety inspections and taking photos for them of their commercial accounts.

So we're in the same boat so to speak...retired, yet still working at less demanding and less stressful jobs. Anyway, I'm writing to tell you that my two daughter and I just returned from a hunt with East Cape Safaris (yesterday in fact).

While there, Grant mentioned that he had received an e - mail from you and the concerns you had about booking a "package hunt!" I ask him to send me your e - mail and told him I would contact you to verify that everything that Keith Warren said on his show was correct. I too saw the first show he did at Grant's and somehow just knew that it was true! Only two months later, my daughters sitting were there at East Cape Safari's lodge for a father/daughter hunt of a lifetime.

We booked the 9 - species, 26 animal cull hunt Grant offers, the whole idea being that we would "ALL" get several shots at various animals on the trip.

BECAUSE, in 2004 I did book one of those "Safari Package Hunts" in Zimbabwe, your mentioned you were concerned about. I only got shots at three of the six animals I went for! So I understand your concerns! Based on that hunt package alone, I would hav e said you are correct by being cautious about African package hunts.

However, once we arrived at Grant's East Cape Safaris, and after seeing all the beautiful trophy class animals on the first and second days of our hunt, we started adding animals to our 26 animal package, and also upgrading to trophy class, some of the cull animals that were in our package as well.

We simply couldn't believe the quality and numbers of animals we saw on Grant's own properties as well as on those he has permission to hunt all with - in from 15 minutes to at most a 1 - 1/2 hour drives from the lodge. (So you'll be back at the lodge in the evenings for the wonderful meals they serve.)

I can tell you, because I have seen with my own eyes, that YOU WILL get every animal on your li st! Because WE tried to beg - off shooting some of the females that were included in our cull package and Grant and our PH would have "none - of - it!"

They both said (and I now can testify that it's true) that their reputations are on the line to complete the entire package a client books for, AND THEY WILL DO IT! And they did exactly that too! Anyway...this is my first day back...from yesterdays 34 - hours of travel. I'm still a bit jet - lagged and also 9 - hours behind in clock time from South Africa time, so I'm a bit tired! But let me just say this; my daughters and I will be happy to answer any and all the questions or concerns you may have about a hunt at East Cape Safari's. (I cc'd them above so you'll have their e - mails addresses as well).

Not only that, but we'll answer with words, photos and even short video clips. We'll share with you our photos and video's of the game we saw while driving the properties, the beautiful animals we collected, the lodge, the meals and most importantly, this FACT:

"You DO BE COME a member of the Abrahamson Family when you book with East Cape Safari's. That is not a sales slogan. It's a fact!

In closing, let me just wish you the best of luck in whatever African Hunt of a Lifetime you choose, but if you do choose East Cape Safari's...you won't be disappointed! (There's still a 38 - inch male Gems Buck Bull out there with massive bases we couldn't find again after seeing him the first day of our hunt, and deciding to ADD Gems buck our list -- we had to settle for piddling little 39 - 3 /4 inch (me) and 38 - 1/2 inch (my daughter) females...a real bummer --- ha - ha).

Mike Hancock

References

*Denotes number of safaris