First Time to Africa - 2023 - Part 2
Apr 16, 2023 13:26:35 GMT -5
Stump Buster, Robster, and 9 more like this
Post by Randominator on Apr 16, 2023 13:26:35 GMT -5
After four days of pursuing Impala with no luck and the temperatures starting to rise into the low 90's, we decided to change our tactics. We constructed a makeshift blind on a waterhole around 10:30 and decided to set until lunch.
We immediately had some young Impala and female Warthog coming in. After about 30 minutes, a mature male Impala came in and my PH told me to take him when I had a clear shot. He was about 60 yards out hanging with a younger Impala and I was in no hurry and decided to let him come closer. A few minutes later the Warthog got spooked and ran taking all the Impala with them. Everything soon settled down and the Impala and Warthog returned. After another 30 minutes I noticed another Impala approaching from the right. I could tell he was a large body Impala and the PH said to take him. He came straight to the waterhole and gave me a perfect broadside shot at 40 yards.
He ran a large circle and went down at around 100 yards out. I thought he was done when he stood up and was trying to walk off. I put another round through his chest and he was down for good. Upon further examination, my first shot had hit slightly low and forward, but the second went straight through his lungs.
We spent the next several days tracking Gemsbok and trying to catch a good Warthog at a waterhole, but we were failing at both. With daytime temperatures hitting 93, we would follow tracks early in the morning, then would set on a waterhole for the remainder of the day until dark.
My PH and tracker adding some netting to help concealment.
Heading up to an elevated box blind where I would spend the next 9 hours.
On the 9th day we went into another area that was thicker than what we had been hunting. We tracked two large Gemsbok for a little over 4 miles and was only able to catch sight of their horns going through the brush at about 60 yards. As it was approaching midday, we decided to head to the only waterhole in the area. The PH said the Gemsbok would surely show up with extreme temperature. After settling in, it didn't take long before game started showing up. We had many Impala, Zebra, small Warthog, and female Waterbuck entertain us for the next couple of hours. Around 2:30, a nice male Waterbuck approached the waterhole from our right. I had told my PH that I would be interested in a Kudu if we saw one that was pushing close to 60". He was glassing the Waterbuck when he asked if I would like to take the Waterbuck instead of a Kudu. He said it was very large and defiantly a book animal. I watched him drink for a couple of minutes and decided to try a take a shot. When he finished drinking he stood facing us for a couple of minutes and I told my PH that I was on him and good and steady. He told me to take the shot if I felt comfortable. At the shot, the Waterbuck turned and ran back in the direction from which he came. My PH said the shot looked good and we headed into the bush to find him. As we got closer, we could see him standing in the bush about 60 yards out. He took off and we started tracking him. After several hundred yards following his tracks, he was only leaving blood when he stopped or bedded down. We radioed the trackers to join us as they had went back to the lodge when we settled into the blind. They got on the tracks and said his left leg was broken. After a short distance, we found him bedded down in some thick brush and I hit him with a second shot. He jumped and ran, but didn't make it far. When I approached him lying on the ground, I couldn't believe how large these animals are! My first shot from the blind was 106 yards and had hit slightly to the right and broke his shoulder. The PH said it wasn't uncommon for these animals to not leave a blood trail due to their thick hide and fur.
TC Encore chambered in 378 GNR using a 260 grain Nosler Accubond.
It took 6 men to load him in the truck and my PH said he would easily weigh 550 lbs.
Day 10 found us about 30 minutes south on a Butternut Squash farm trying to get a shot on a Gemsbok. We were only there a few minutes when we jumped a group of about 10 animals. The next 10 hours was spent with us finding the group about every two hours to only have them disappear, or we would get set up for a shot and the only animal I could get my scope on turned out to be a female. The landowner had informed us we could only harvest a male.
Around midmorning we came around a turn and was treated with this surprise.
I asked my PH if that was a snake trail and he said yes, a python. Upon further examination, he discovered that was in fact a leopard that was dragging an Impala. He said the tracks were just a couple of minutes old, so he grabbed his rifle and we went into the bush looking for the cat. After about 300 yards, we found the Impala. A very large male that the cat had hidden back in some brush. The PH said if someone had a Leopard tag, they could come back to this spot at dark and get a shot we the cat returned to it's kill.
The 10 day hunt ended without getting a shot on a Gemsbok, which was at the top of my list. I still managed to harvest four nice trophies and was told the Impala and Waterbuck show score Gold medal and the Wildebeest and Blesbok possibly making the book as well.
It was an experience of a lifetime and I would love to return one day.
We immediately had some young Impala and female Warthog coming in. After about 30 minutes, a mature male Impala came in and my PH told me to take him when I had a clear shot. He was about 60 yards out hanging with a younger Impala and I was in no hurry and decided to let him come closer. A few minutes later the Warthog got spooked and ran taking all the Impala with them. Everything soon settled down and the Impala and Warthog returned. After another 30 minutes I noticed another Impala approaching from the right. I could tell he was a large body Impala and the PH said to take him. He came straight to the waterhole and gave me a perfect broadside shot at 40 yards.
He ran a large circle and went down at around 100 yards out. I thought he was done when he stood up and was trying to walk off. I put another round through his chest and he was down for good. Upon further examination, my first shot had hit slightly low and forward, but the second went straight through his lungs.
We spent the next several days tracking Gemsbok and trying to catch a good Warthog at a waterhole, but we were failing at both. With daytime temperatures hitting 93, we would follow tracks early in the morning, then would set on a waterhole for the remainder of the day until dark.
My PH and tracker adding some netting to help concealment.
Heading up to an elevated box blind where I would spend the next 9 hours.
On the 9th day we went into another area that was thicker than what we had been hunting. We tracked two large Gemsbok for a little over 4 miles and was only able to catch sight of their horns going through the brush at about 60 yards. As it was approaching midday, we decided to head to the only waterhole in the area. The PH said the Gemsbok would surely show up with extreme temperature. After settling in, it didn't take long before game started showing up. We had many Impala, Zebra, small Warthog, and female Waterbuck entertain us for the next couple of hours. Around 2:30, a nice male Waterbuck approached the waterhole from our right. I had told my PH that I would be interested in a Kudu if we saw one that was pushing close to 60". He was glassing the Waterbuck when he asked if I would like to take the Waterbuck instead of a Kudu. He said it was very large and defiantly a book animal. I watched him drink for a couple of minutes and decided to try a take a shot. When he finished drinking he stood facing us for a couple of minutes and I told my PH that I was on him and good and steady. He told me to take the shot if I felt comfortable. At the shot, the Waterbuck turned and ran back in the direction from which he came. My PH said the shot looked good and we headed into the bush to find him. As we got closer, we could see him standing in the bush about 60 yards out. He took off and we started tracking him. After several hundred yards following his tracks, he was only leaving blood when he stopped or bedded down. We radioed the trackers to join us as they had went back to the lodge when we settled into the blind. They got on the tracks and said his left leg was broken. After a short distance, we found him bedded down in some thick brush and I hit him with a second shot. He jumped and ran, but didn't make it far. When I approached him lying on the ground, I couldn't believe how large these animals are! My first shot from the blind was 106 yards and had hit slightly to the right and broke his shoulder. The PH said it wasn't uncommon for these animals to not leave a blood trail due to their thick hide and fur.
TC Encore chambered in 378 GNR using a 260 grain Nosler Accubond.
It took 6 men to load him in the truck and my PH said he would easily weigh 550 lbs.
Day 10 found us about 30 minutes south on a Butternut Squash farm trying to get a shot on a Gemsbok. We were only there a few minutes when we jumped a group of about 10 animals. The next 10 hours was spent with us finding the group about every two hours to only have them disappear, or we would get set up for a shot and the only animal I could get my scope on turned out to be a female. The landowner had informed us we could only harvest a male.
Around midmorning we came around a turn and was treated with this surprise.
I asked my PH if that was a snake trail and he said yes, a python. Upon further examination, he discovered that was in fact a leopard that was dragging an Impala. He said the tracks were just a couple of minutes old, so he grabbed his rifle and we went into the bush looking for the cat. After about 300 yards, we found the Impala. A very large male that the cat had hidden back in some brush. The PH said if someone had a Leopard tag, they could come back to this spot at dark and get a shot we the cat returned to it's kill.
The 10 day hunt ended without getting a shot on a Gemsbok, which was at the top of my list. I still managed to harvest four nice trophies and was told the Impala and Waterbuck show score Gold medal and the Wildebeest and Blesbok possibly making the book as well.
It was an experience of a lifetime and I would love to return one day.
