Hunt over water; Shoot from truck

[Albert GRANT]

Thanks, Albert. Very good points. We’ve already chosen our outfitter (without having had that specific conversation). Met them at a meet-and-greet put on by our taxidermist who has a third hunt scheduled with them next spring. Comes highly recommended by taxidermist and from multiple favorable posts here when I searched them. So, will be an alignment chat prior to beginning the hunt.

Chances are, you will be fine and they will be willing to work with you, whatever you choose to do then. Good luck and enjoy your hunt! My biggest two pieces of advice for you are to #1- have relatively low expectations on the animals to keep the pressure off and up the excitement when it's a good one and #2 stay as long as you possibly can even if it's not hunting- book time in Cape Town or something and make the most of it given the long travel time back and forth.

 

[WAB]

In all my safaris I have shot one animal from a truck, a warthog. I don’t believe that I would do it again.

I have stalked animals spotted from the truck. If they are spotted at distance and the stalk is long, that can be fun. Bailing off the truck to set up sticks and shoot from the side of the road is not challenging or appealing to me. I don’t fly all the way to Africa just to kill stuff.

Still hunting along a waterway looking for bushbuck is an absolute blast.

By far my preference is a tracking hunt. I have successfully taken elephant, buffalo, eland and zebra in this manner. It is the purest form of hunting I have done in Africa.

 

[baxterb]

Jim Corbett had special disdain for people who hunted over water.

I won’t do it, nor shoot from a truck.

 

[TheGrayRider]

When in Rome, do as the Romans. If it’s legal under that country’s, province’s, or states’s laws then make your own personal decision.

Too many posts on several forums like “Well we don’t hunt like that in ( insert country/state/province), so no one should…” Indirectly, they are stating we are better than you and you should follow our ways.

Happy continued legal hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[375Fox]

When in Rome, do as the Romans. If it’s legal under that country’s, province’s, or states’s laws then make your own personal decision.

Too many posts on several forums like “Well we don’t hunt like that in ( insert country/state/province), so no one should…” Indirectly, they are stating we are better than you and you should follow our ways.

Happy continued legal hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Nothing wrong with what you wrote, but choose where you go and who you hunt with wisely. There are a lot of “PHs” who really don’t know any better and hunting small farms and shooting from truck is all they know. Not all PHs and outfitters in the same area will operate the same way.

 

[Randy F]

It’s an individual choice. I was nudged that direction once but made it clear that’s not what I travelled half way around the planet to do and it was never attempted again.

My personal feeling is that a vehicle is great for crossing and getting started on a track and carrying me to where I need to go. But, again for me, after the hunt I don’t ever want to say “I got it, but…”

Where it’s legal and that’s what you feel you want to do, go for it. Who am I to judge anyone taking what they like legally?

 

[Doubleplay]

Truck aside, I read some posts on this thread that some will never shoot from a blind at a waterhole.
I'm guessing same people will never hunt a black bear or a leopard from a blind or whitetail from a tree stand?
Am I assuming correct?

 

[McKenzie Sims]

Great question and I’ve read lots of great answers listed above. I'm in the same boat as many, the truck deal is 100% up to you IF it is legal where you will be hunting. There are a good number of species such as the night critters and smaller predators that will be truck hunts.

So think of how you want to experience your trip and also ask the honest question to yourself about it. Like you said if that Kudu you have dreamed about just steps out will you ever be back? will you think back and kick yourself for taking the shot? That one is 100% on you man and I wouldn’t let to many people sway you from your own thoughts. You sound like a guy that wants to have an experience and like a ethical hunter just for asking the question don’t over think it to much.

Now as I read another comment some outfitter pressure clients to shoot everything from the truck and that’s just no fun you don’t get a real African experience that way and if the game on the place is extremely wild you know that’s what has been done. I’ve been places that I didn’t 100% like how it was ran and did have some thoughts of hmm why did we do it this way or why is it done this way, but I’ve been places that we have hunted hard, had lots of fun and just happened to get a shot from the truck at something or took a cull animal not once did I ever think about it.


Great questions, it makes it seem like you truly care how things are done.

Good luck on your upcoming trip I can’t wait to see how it goes and read some stories from the trip.
Cheers,

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

It is up to you to decide. I personally have only shot 2 animals from the truck. A Jackel and a very injured Kudu. PH and Outfitter I hunt with most of the time does not allow shooting from the truck unless you are disabled. I will sit a waterhole mid day to see if something comes in. If riding and see something we usually drive on past. Then stalk back 200-300 yards see if can get a shot. Talk to the outfitter and find out how he hunts before you book

 

[Jeff505]

Hunting water might depend on the circumstance. A river or large body would be different then a pan or small watering hole. I had hunted with an outfitter in Namibia that would not allow hunting watering holes. His thoughts were that since this is an arid country and water could be far and few in between he did not want to stress the wildlife. We would spend our afternoon lunch under a tree in the distance watching the holes to view game.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

My lodge owner and PHs generally do not allow shooting from the truck. It makes the game too spooky and much more difficult for other hunters later in the season to do spot and stalk. Exception is culling some species. Camp meat impala and warthog can be shot from outside the vehicle. Also, lone broken horn or sick animals are often shot as quickly as possible any way possible. Warthog are often considered nusuince species to be shot on sight (they destroy fences). One landowner said he'd kick me off the place if I didn't shoot any warthog I saw. During lambing any bushpig, jackal, or baboon in the area is also shot on sight. They are very hard on livestock. Your PH will likely tell you to shoot them out the window.

Sitting in a blind next to a waterhole/tank is usually reserved for bowhunters. I suppose if sitting all day on your butt turns your crank, it is usually allowed. Why anyone would not want to be seeing as much scenery as possible is beyond me. Seems like a precious waste of time and money. Yeah, I hunt geese over decoys but if there was more jump shooting available, my deeks would be in the Salvation Army donation bin.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

I've done four safaris now and haven't shot anything out of a truck or blind. Not my cup of tea. But nothing against anyone else - it's your money, your hunting ethics, and your story to tell. Just be resolute in how you wish to hunt and clear in your communication.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Let the scenario decide.

For those with mobility problems shooting from the back of the bakki or from a waterhole blind may be the only scenario to successful hunts.

Depending on your outfitter but hunting in RSA you most likely will be hunting multiple concessions for the various animals on your list. As such you will be going through gates......

OR

As you are riding around looking to spot a animal or rather a herd of the animal on your list, round a bend....

OR

Your stopped, standing beside the bakki trying to judge an animal on your list and....

SURPRISE.....a quality shooter or record book animal on your primary or opportunity animal list appears out of virtually nowhere at just feet or at very short yardage from you.

My Black Springbok, at 20 yards, as the tracker had just climbed onto the back of the bakki from closing a gate. We just moved down about 15-20 yards, set the sticks up, waited about 5 minutes for the springbok to intercept us, springbok down.

My Yellowtail Mongoose, my PH and I were trying to judge a Warthog at around 200 yards in the open when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, just a couple of feet away from the front and side of the bakki, mongoose down.

My Gemsbok, we had been trying to get close to a herd of gemsbok in the open to get a stalk on. We tried coming up from behind them, we tried to use brush to conceal us on a side into the herd approach, finally tried a get ahead of and ambush, still couldn't get the gemsbok to cooperate for a shot. This went on for two and a half days without success. On the third morning made the shot. It was a good shot just not an instant drop. We followed the gemsbok at first on foot getting another shot, a trotting shot, into the rib cage. The gemsbok made it into a deep dry riverbed. The only way to get a vantage point to shoot before the gemsbok crossed onto a neighboring property was to make a shot from the back of the bakki down into the riverbed.

Another situation was a Black Back Jackal on my opportunity animal list. We were calling it a day, unsuccessful, hunting kudu when a Black Back Jackal came trotting out of the bush. PH stopped the vehicle, I got out of the vehicle, grabbed my rifle, thought I had a good scope crosshair alignment over the door, missed the jackal. Only jackal I have seen in 3 trips.

Not a hunt....A spot and shoot. Spotlight at night, road hunting from vehicle. Free non trophy animals...meat for lodge use. A Warthog and A Kudu.

Just presented various situations for hunting from a vehicle. That happened on my second and third trips.

My tracker and I also hunted from an archery blind at a waterhole near a carcass disposal spot in expectation of getting either a warthog or bushpig for lodge meat.

It comes down to the scenario, or the opportunity in which one is afforded whether to hunt from a vehicle or a waterhole.

For hunting it's about covering a vast area by using the bakki for spotting game, getting within several hundred yards into stalking distance, then start stalking on foot to within comfortable shooting distance, then making the shot.

 

[Red Leg]

I am frankly surprised at the level of acceptance at potting game from a vehicle. Other than baboons, the only shooting from a truck that I have done was as @Ontario Hunter describes. One was badly injured common duiker (probably from a croc), another was a crippled hartebeest dragging twenty-feet of snare wire, and a third was a half grown warthog for supper. I have shot several warthog at waterholes because we were shooting non-trophy boars for bait. It was simply more efficient. Like @WAB I do not travel that far to drive around killing things from the back of a vehicle and call it hunting.

It also seems to be more of a South African option than other places I have hunted. I am trying to imagine Jamy Traut in Namibia or Grant Taylor in Mozambique signing up for a drive about shooting game. I hasten to add, a physical disability is another issue entirely.

 

[Hunt anything]

On 4 safaris I’ve shot exactly 1 animal from the truck. A baboon in goat and sheep country, they are pretty much treated like we treat coyotes. Shoot on sight
I haven’t read in detail the whole thread but no one ever talks of the long hard drive to collect a special animal. It’s all about the stalk for me.
I’ve also only shot 1 animal over bait , we watched a bushpig bait from the truck from about half a mile, when the pigs showed up my PH and I stalked to about 100yds and I made the shot. It was a new experience stalking in the pitch black.
But of course this is all personal and if legal and it doesn’t bother you have at it.

 

[Graham Hunter]

I won't shoot anything off the truck except Jackal or Baboon. I did shoot a couple of animals from the truck when culling but I didn't consider it hunting. I have sat a a waterhole several times during the heat of the day and very much enjoy it. Didn't shoot anything but enjoyed watching all the Wildlife!

 

[Boyd Brooks]

For me the only animal taken from a truck was a warthog with a broken leg, dragging 10 feet of wire from a bush snare. We were on our way back to camp for lunch, when the PH spotted the pig. He told me to shot the pig, so I did.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

As for hunting water, what’s the difference between a water hole in Africa, and calling moose at the side of a swamp. Lots of pronghorns shot near water on the prairies as well. For me if it’s legal, hunt, have fun and enjoy the table fare.

 

[Hunt anything]

As far as a waterholes goes, in Mozambique we would stalk pans to see what was using them, i was there early in the season and there was lots of surface water so it didn’t work out.
In South Africa I haven’t hunted waterholes but under the right set of circumstances I might. I would prefer to sit a waterhole with my wife and take pictures and watch the birds and wildlife.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

For me the only animal taken from a truck was a warthog with a broken leg, dragging 10 feet of wire from a bush snare. We were on our way back to camp for lunch, when the PH spotted the pig. He told me to shot the pig, so I did.

I had a similar experience with a sick kudu calf. Only one for me as well.