A Hunting We Will Go, A Hunting We Will Go, Hi Ho the Derry-o, A Hunting We Will Go!
We're off like a dirty shirt to find Red Hartebeest. Now Red Hartebeest (Harley Davidson Antelope?
have a habit of looking around from a high point. They even climb on a termite mound to see better. We tried to get up on several but they stomped off way before we could even get the stalk started. And man, can they run, forever! We tried for them at Kalahari Camp but to no avail. We'd see them from a mile away and stop behind a dune 400 yds away, sneak up the sand and they would be looking at us. And then- poof, they are gone. Had 2 good bulls at 200+ yds in heavy brush when we spotted them (I saw them first even before Jamy and the tracker-HA HA) so we piled out of the vehicle and started the stalk. We lost them in 5 mins and looked for a half hour. They just disappeared, period. Vanished, gone, just as if a magician had said abracadabra and waved his cape. So here we are at Panorama, different terrain, but the same "EYES? After several blown stops we are going down an open dirt track, wide open area with just a slight small berm out in front of us. Tall grass prevails in all the open areas.
As we move slowly down the road looking all directions Jamy slams on the brakes and says look, pointing to our 2 o'clock position. There, out in the flat open field, with nothing around is the head of a big hartebeest just sticking out of the grass at 300 yds. We're out in the open in the truck, no brush between us and him but one small 5" diameter tree. Thankfully he's looking the other direction. What do we do now?
Must Be The Dumbest Hartebeest In The World
OK, we decide that Jamy and Bruce will try a stalk. They quietly climb out (I'm secretly hoping no one slams a door). I'm up top, in back, with my binos on him.
My Binos (but then I digress to tell this story)
I buy a lot of stuff from Cabelas. If I said I get the hard bound catalog every year does that tell you something? Anyway they had a big sale a while back on binos and in reading all the ads and looking at on line reviews I got a pair of Bushnell Legend AD 10X42 binos with my Cabelas points. They have a 1 year no questions asked return policy on the binos. If they're not as good as I think they should be, I could get all my money back. They are that good. I'm not returning them. In fact, Jamy liked them so much (he has an older pair of Swarovski 10 power) that he's going to get a pair for his son, Jr. Try'em, they're good.
Back To The Hunt
So the plan is for them to use the tree as a screen to get with in 200 yds of the animal. They're out in the open. Just grass between them and the tree and then just more grass. This ain't goin to work! So, off they go and they get to the tree. The hartebeest is still looking the other way. Not a care in the world. Bruce set his rifle on a low branch of the tree for a good rest and immediately gets run over by big wood ants that are running up and down the tree trunk. Luckily they weren't stinging ants. Still keeping your concentration on the hartebeest with ants all over your hands and rifle? I don't know if I could do it. So, they are behind the tree (for what ever a 5" tree gives for cover) and I'm in truck another 150 yds further away in line with them, out in the open. The hartebeest is still laying down looking the other way so Jamy decides to make a grunt to get him to stand up. 10 grunts later, each one louder and louder (I can hear them !) no movement out of the hartebeest? Then Jamy calls out "Hey, Hartebeest", Nothing!. Several more tries and he finally looks behind and stands up, facing straight on to Jamy and Bruce and looking at me. He stands there for a couple of minutes looking and then----------he lays down again looking the other way. Now do you know why I call him Mr.Stupid? Jamy even turns toward me and yells, "Can you believe this? No, I can't.
Now, what to do? Ok, Jamy goes back to, Hey Hartebeest!? Finally after several more times the animal stands up again. This time he stands broadside to Bruce and Jamy. I hear the boom and I hear the bullet impact. As Bruce described it, "He did a short St. Vitus dance and fell over" We all rendezvous at the animal and see that he goes 24+ inches. Quite good. The electric winch is pulled out and the hartebeest goes up the tailgate ramp and into the pickup bed. Off we go back to the main house for drinks all around and another great meal by Rentia
OH, The Snakes
When we arrived at Panorama Nicki, the youngest, comes up and says they found a Puff Adder near by and have it in the bed of the old truck (dead of course). We all go look. It's about 4 feet long. Bruce wants the skin for a hat band
.
The Next Snake
As we were driving down the road looking for the hartebeest, Peter, the tracker who is driving, stops and says a bright yellow and black snake just crossed the road. We don't see it but Jamy says it's a Cape Cobra!
Now, with this being April and going into the colder fall season, all the snakes are going underground so anyone hunting later in the winter there probably won't see any snakes at all. These are the first I've ever seen in all my trips. Oh, wait a minute, I said I didn't see the
FIRST Cape Cobra. Yes there were 2, along with a second Puff Adder. As we were driving on another road a couple of days later I saw a yellow and black snake crossing the road, another Cape Cobra! AND, on another day on a stalk, we find another Puff Adder! Very unusual, Jamy and everyone else were surprised by all the snakes. It's really not a big problem. They all run away if they can, especially the Cobras.
The Big Lizard
While we were in the Kalahari we almost ran over a big Monitor Lizard. Rolling down the dirt road near the big dry pan (visible on Google Earth) we come to a stop and see this big monitor lizard in the road (they don't move very fast). Of course we have to get out and take pictures. The lizard didn't like it one bit. We hear the hissing warning, Stay away. He's about 4 feet long and I guess maybe 30 lbs. All we hear is the hissing and more hissing as he walks away from us and our cameras. He could probably chomp off a finger without much trouble. No I didn't try to pick him up. Remember, the Crocodile Hunter killed himself by being stupid and he was a professional at animal handling.
I'm a Carnivore, I Eat Meat, Now My Quest for Food
Sorry, that's the next installment
