Day 9 (November 2)
Breakfast – I get carrot cake with chocolate icing for the second day in a row and Ann doesn’t fuss at me. Does it get any better than this? She quotes Bill Crosby’s skit “Dad is great, we get chocolate cake!” Manuel must think we are some crazy Americans.
Sunrise leaving camp
Off to buffalo land looking for Eland along the way. I sway to the rhythm of the truck and Nipito’s tsetse fly dance. Tap, tap, tap – Geraldo – Eland!!!!! Grande!!!!! In the woods to the left of the track. I bail out right, Nipito hands me the 375 and Jacinto hands Manuel the sticks. We move around the hood of the truck and setup the sticks. He’s in the woods about 175 yards away, broadside facing to the right. I cock the rifle, get on him and squeeze. We all hear a solid thwack with a second thwack.
The woods looking from the truck to where the Eland was when I shot
Yup, one happy scope ring – first time.
The eland trots off with his cows and we go out to where he was standing. We quickly find blood and start the track. After about 300 yards, Geraldo sees him and Manuel finds the Eland in the binoculars. Before we can setup the sticks he takes off. We continue the track. Manuel sees him again about a half mile away across a grassy plain. The guys continue the track.
They stop. Nipito and Manuel chat. The guys lost his track with the cows. He must have split off from them. We wait while they go back. About 15 minutes and Geraldo whistles he’s got the track about 250 yards back. Jacinto walks parallel to him and gets the track about 150 yards back. Nipito crosses over and finds it about 50 yards back – they are all in a straight line. How they do this continues to amaze me. Off we go.
About a quarter mile later we catch up with him, he’s standing broadside. I squeeze off a shot between the trees but hit one of them. Manuel “You want me to shoot him?”, “Yes”. One shot of his 460 and the bull is down. When we walk up he’s still alive so I put another one in him to finish it. I have my Eland Bull. He’s grand, huge, amazing. I don’t think I could wrap my arms around his neck. It’s the rut, so he’s puffed up even more than normal. Manuel looks at his horns and shakes his head. “John, he’s bigger than the one I have in my trophy room. You have to do a shoulder mount!” Wow. He looks huge to me. I'll have to wait until he arrives in the states to measure him. Pinch me!
Manuel, Ann and I hang out with the eland while the guys go back for the truck and clear a path. Takes them about an hour and a half round trip. I figure they’ll take a break when they get back – no way. They immediately start processing him. Now, how do we get him in the truck? 2 guys in the truck pulling the horns, a rope tied around the horns run through the steel tubing frame with Ann and I pulling on it and 4 guys underneath the him. Finally we get the front half into the bed. Close the tailgate, now 3 guys in the truck and 2 guys with me underneath and we get the back half into the truck. Didn’t think we could do it but we did.
Lunch in camp, leftover chocolate mousse for desert (do you sense a theme here?), a nice cold shower and a nap. We look for waterbuck this evening – one bull with a heard of cows but they take off as we get close. I sleep well. Ann hears the lions as they rumbled their way past about 100 yards from our tent during the night.
Breakfast – I get carrot cake with chocolate icing for the second day in a row and Ann doesn’t fuss at me. Does it get any better than this? She quotes Bill Crosby’s skit “Dad is great, we get chocolate cake!” Manuel must think we are some crazy Americans.
Sunrise leaving camp
Off to buffalo land looking for Eland along the way. I sway to the rhythm of the truck and Nipito’s tsetse fly dance. Tap, tap, tap – Geraldo – Eland!!!!! Grande!!!!! In the woods to the left of the track. I bail out right, Nipito hands me the 375 and Jacinto hands Manuel the sticks. We move around the hood of the truck and setup the sticks. He’s in the woods about 175 yards away, broadside facing to the right. I cock the rifle, get on him and squeeze. We all hear a solid thwack with a second thwack.
The woods looking from the truck to where the Eland was when I shot
Yup, one happy scope ring – first time.
The eland trots off with his cows and we go out to where he was standing. We quickly find blood and start the track. After about 300 yards, Geraldo sees him and Manuel finds the Eland in the binoculars. Before we can setup the sticks he takes off. We continue the track. Manuel sees him again about a half mile away across a grassy plain. The guys continue the track.
They stop. Nipito and Manuel chat. The guys lost his track with the cows. He must have split off from them. We wait while they go back. About 15 minutes and Geraldo whistles he’s got the track about 250 yards back. Jacinto walks parallel to him and gets the track about 150 yards back. Nipito crosses over and finds it about 50 yards back – they are all in a straight line. How they do this continues to amaze me. Off we go.
About a quarter mile later we catch up with him, he’s standing broadside. I squeeze off a shot between the trees but hit one of them. Manuel “You want me to shoot him?”, “Yes”. One shot of his 460 and the bull is down. When we walk up he’s still alive so I put another one in him to finish it. I have my Eland Bull. He’s grand, huge, amazing. I don’t think I could wrap my arms around his neck. It’s the rut, so he’s puffed up even more than normal. Manuel looks at his horns and shakes his head. “John, he’s bigger than the one I have in my trophy room. You have to do a shoulder mount!” Wow. He looks huge to me. I'll have to wait until he arrives in the states to measure him. Pinch me!
Manuel, Ann and I hang out with the eland while the guys go back for the truck and clear a path. Takes them about an hour and a half round trip. I figure they’ll take a break when they get back – no way. They immediately start processing him. Now, how do we get him in the truck? 2 guys in the truck pulling the horns, a rope tied around the horns run through the steel tubing frame with Ann and I pulling on it and 4 guys underneath the him. Finally we get the front half into the bed. Close the tailgate, now 3 guys in the truck and 2 guys with me underneath and we get the back half into the truck. Didn’t think we could do it but we did.
Lunch in camp, leftover chocolate mousse for desert (do you sense a theme here?), a nice cold shower and a nap. We look for waterbuck this evening – one bull with a heard of cows but they take off as we get close. I sleep well. Ann hears the lions as they rumbled their way past about 100 yards from our tent during the night.
