top of page

Wesley van der Veen &
Pieter diedericks

The Ultimate professional hunting team
 

As a youngster I grew up in the veld, armed with an air rifle and later a .22, no guinea fowl,pheasant or pigeon was ever safe and at the age of 9yrs I shot my first blesbuck.

 

With my blood painted face and the taste of raw liver in my mouth, I knew this would be a passion that I would pursue for the rest of my life.

Things progressed quite quickly form there and by the time I was 15 years old, I was reloading my own shells and started working for a culling company on weekends. We culled mainly Blesbuck and Springbuck and we shot between 150 and 300 head of game on a weekend.

In 2002 I was a young man of 19 yrs old with a zest for life, but no direction. All I knew was that I loved hunting, so I phoned a bunch of the bigger outfitters in South Africa, harassing them until finally Peter Harris of Ntshonalanga Safaris decided to give me a chance. “Bring your rifle and a tooth brush” he said. “You might spend the night”. They were hunting the Qwa Qwa concession in the Eastern Free State, and after spending the day with Peter and his clients, I knew I had found my future.

The next day Peter said I should go home and fetch the rest of my hunting gear and clothes and meet-up with him on the next Safari. I plainly refused, I didn’t want to miss a thing, so I quickly drove to the nearest town bought all the necessaries and was back at camp in an hour.

Only at the end of the season did I go home. So began my 5 year hunting apprenticeship. By the age of 21 years I had shot the Big 5 and under the watchful eye of Peter, I became a pretty decent professional hunter. During my apprenticeship I also met my wife, Louise. Louise was working at one of the lodges that we utilized while she was finishing up her degree in hotel management. In 2006 Peter decided that after 25yrs in the hunting industry, he had enough and he sold Ntshonalanga Safaris.

​

Wesley van der Veen

So in 2007 we launched Ultimate Hunting Safaris. I had learned a lot over the years, all the do's and don’ts and knew exactly what type of company I wanted to run.

​

  • I wanted my company to be small enough, so that I can give every client personal attention.

  • I wanted to hunt on big concessions, a minimum of 10 000 acres.

  • I wanted all my concessions to be at the sole disposal of my clients.

  • I also wanted to be able to offer every single hunt able species in South Africa on the various concessions.

  • I wanted to personalize every safari, to suite every clients needs, from hunting styles and techniques to culinary preferences.

  • I only wanted to hunt in politically stable areas.

  • My camp staff, skinners & trackers should be well trained and dedicated to their work.

  • I wanted my clients to leave their African hunting holiday with a sense of fulfillment, knowledge of the history, cultures & wildlife of Africa.

  • And last, but not least – I wanted to portray Africa as being a “family friendly” hunting destination.

  • This is exactly what we are all about.

​

​

 Pieter diedericks


 

Pieter joined the Ultimate team as a professional Hunter a couple of years ago. He is and excellent guide and passionate about Hunting. 

​

Pieter is fluent in French and takes charge of our European Clientele. 

image0.jpeg

My wife and I, alongside a small team of professional hunters, camp staff, skinners and trackers make it our duty to deliver the best service in the industry. But above all, we strive that every client who comes to hunt with us, leaves their African hunting holiday feeling enriched with knowledge, experience, fond memories and above all that we part as friends.

bottom of page