MAdcox
AH elite
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2017
- Messages
- 1,028
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- 2,356
- Location
- Oklahoma, USA
- Media
- 122
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- 1
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- DSC; DSCOK
- Hunted
- Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, South Africa (Limpopo, Northern Cape), Namibia
Thursday, Sept 30th
This morning we headed out together again, looking for a Kudu for Bobby and maybe one for me or a Hartebeest as well. We took a lunch as we were headed over 40 miles away to the big, rough mountainous ranch that Bobby and Jacques had hunted on day two. We climbed another rocky little koppie and glassed a big, brushy valley area. We saw Oryx and Hartebeest scattered through the area but we had been there for thirty minutes or so when Jacques whispered something to Michael and he headed down off the hill to the truck and quickly back with our water and gear for a stalk. Jacques told us that they had been watching a very good Hartebeest, planning a stalk but had then spotted a big Kudu bull way out. As big Kudu are much harder to come by, that's where we headed. Again this is Bobby's hunt and story, but I have to include a part of it from my perspective that was too interesting to skip. The stalk through this broken terrain, full of other animals was long and tough but I'll leave that to Bobby. With Matheus' incredible ability to put us where we needed to be, we came to an open area an hour later and Matheus just froze. There was nothing in sight but somehow he knew we were close. No one had seen this bull for over an hour, but he knew. He had me fall out to minimize the movement. So I just laid down in the trail right where I was. He and Bobby began easing very slowly and quietly up to the next cover. Not 30 yards from me they froze and I saw Matheus set the sticks! This started the weirdest 5-10 minutes I have ever witnessed. Bobby was on the sticks and looking through the scope as Matheus made his "whope!" call I knew he used to stop an animal. But nothing happened and he did it again. Then he clapped his hands, then he yelled, then he started the "whope, whope" again. For several minutes this went on. I could not for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on. I was picturing a Kudu bull milling around the bush with Matheus trying to stop him in an opening or something. Bobby wasn't moving, Matheus wasn't shifting or re-setting the sticks. It was just weird. Then I saw Matheus ease up to whisper something to Bobby then he stood straight up and moved out to the side of Bobby. Immediately there was a shot and I raised up to my knees to see a huge Kudu bull trying to make the next cover, obviously hit hard. The bull had been bedded and refused to get up. That was the weirdest thing I had ever seen and I joked with Bobby that I though I was going to have to move up and remind him where the trigger was after watching he and Matheus for almost 5 minutes yell at this Kudu bull. Sorry Bobby for stealing some of your story.
It was hot and we were miles from camp, so we went to the ranch house and took care of Bobby's meat and hide then found a shady spot to eat our lunch and rest the hot part of the day. Elizabeth had made a sort of sandwich from a traditional frybread and filled it with the Eland goulash from the night before. It was OUTSTANDING! Jacques climbed a large mountain while we napped and read in the shade. After an hour or more of glassing he returned and said he had seen nothing but some young Oryx and Kudu cows for miles around. Around 4 we where back at another koppie overlooking the same valley from the morning from a different angle. Jacques immediately picked up the big lone Hartebeest bull from that morning. He was a long way off and angling away from us, so we took off at a hard walk to try and intercept him. After a long fast walk, we started to spot him at intervals through the trees. He was still walking steadily away but we had closed to within 250 yards. He was going behind a big, downed acacia tree and Matheus had us almost in a run to close the distance while the cover was between us. As we cleared the cover, he was not there! We eased around and spotted his horns lying under another tree in the shade. We got low and got within 100 yards and Matheus got the sticks set and I got ready for him to stand up. I didn't know he stepped back and told Bobby to film this. He then told me to be ready because Hartebeest would probably stand and face up to the noise and leave quickly. I centered right on his horns and waited. Matheus said "whope" and he stood quartering hard to me immediately. I put it right on the point of his shoulder and squeezed. He went straight over backwards and began to kick up dirt. I was pleased but should have known something was off because Matheus immediately and excitedly said "reload and move up quickly, when he gets up shoot!" I was moving and ready but never expected him to get up. But about 60 yards away he jumped up and shakily began moving away. Matheus was right there with the sticks and I fired and knocked him down for good. As we got to the spot I first knocked him down there was blood everywhere and Matheus kneeled down and picked up a big piece of bone and handed it to me. I was amazed that he had gotten up with that much shoulder bone missing when I realized it was a tooth! I didn't realize Bobby was still videoing or I would have tried to watch my language a little better as I said "I hit him in the mouth? What the...!" Matheus had known by the way he went down he wasn't hit properly. Luckily my second shot had anchored him or we might not have ever found the old guy. I had hit him right in the bridge of the nose. Bobby and Matheus thought he had moved his head in line with his shoulder just as I squeezed, and maybe he did, but I was not happy. This was a huge, old gray-faced bull and he deserved better performance from me. Luckily my follow up was good and we had a great bull. But I needed to check my rifle again, so we had a great evening after another wildly successful day and made plans for me to take the rifle back to the range tomorrow.
This morning we headed out together again, looking for a Kudu for Bobby and maybe one for me or a Hartebeest as well. We took a lunch as we were headed over 40 miles away to the big, rough mountainous ranch that Bobby and Jacques had hunted on day two. We climbed another rocky little koppie and glassed a big, brushy valley area. We saw Oryx and Hartebeest scattered through the area but we had been there for thirty minutes or so when Jacques whispered something to Michael and he headed down off the hill to the truck and quickly back with our water and gear for a stalk. Jacques told us that they had been watching a very good Hartebeest, planning a stalk but had then spotted a big Kudu bull way out. As big Kudu are much harder to come by, that's where we headed. Again this is Bobby's hunt and story, but I have to include a part of it from my perspective that was too interesting to skip. The stalk through this broken terrain, full of other animals was long and tough but I'll leave that to Bobby. With Matheus' incredible ability to put us where we needed to be, we came to an open area an hour later and Matheus just froze. There was nothing in sight but somehow he knew we were close. No one had seen this bull for over an hour, but he knew. He had me fall out to minimize the movement. So I just laid down in the trail right where I was. He and Bobby began easing very slowly and quietly up to the next cover. Not 30 yards from me they froze and I saw Matheus set the sticks! This started the weirdest 5-10 minutes I have ever witnessed. Bobby was on the sticks and looking through the scope as Matheus made his "whope!" call I knew he used to stop an animal. But nothing happened and he did it again. Then he clapped his hands, then he yelled, then he started the "whope, whope" again. For several minutes this went on. I could not for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on. I was picturing a Kudu bull milling around the bush with Matheus trying to stop him in an opening or something. Bobby wasn't moving, Matheus wasn't shifting or re-setting the sticks. It was just weird. Then I saw Matheus ease up to whisper something to Bobby then he stood straight up and moved out to the side of Bobby. Immediately there was a shot and I raised up to my knees to see a huge Kudu bull trying to make the next cover, obviously hit hard. The bull had been bedded and refused to get up. That was the weirdest thing I had ever seen and I joked with Bobby that I though I was going to have to move up and remind him where the trigger was after watching he and Matheus for almost 5 minutes yell at this Kudu bull. Sorry Bobby for stealing some of your story.
It was hot and we were miles from camp, so we went to the ranch house and took care of Bobby's meat and hide then found a shady spot to eat our lunch and rest the hot part of the day. Elizabeth had made a sort of sandwich from a traditional frybread and filled it with the Eland goulash from the night before. It was OUTSTANDING! Jacques climbed a large mountain while we napped and read in the shade. After an hour or more of glassing he returned and said he had seen nothing but some young Oryx and Kudu cows for miles around. Around 4 we where back at another koppie overlooking the same valley from the morning from a different angle. Jacques immediately picked up the big lone Hartebeest bull from that morning. He was a long way off and angling away from us, so we took off at a hard walk to try and intercept him. After a long fast walk, we started to spot him at intervals through the trees. He was still walking steadily away but we had closed to within 250 yards. He was going behind a big, downed acacia tree and Matheus had us almost in a run to close the distance while the cover was between us. As we cleared the cover, he was not there! We eased around and spotted his horns lying under another tree in the shade. We got low and got within 100 yards and Matheus got the sticks set and I got ready for him to stand up. I didn't know he stepped back and told Bobby to film this. He then told me to be ready because Hartebeest would probably stand and face up to the noise and leave quickly. I centered right on his horns and waited. Matheus said "whope" and he stood quartering hard to me immediately. I put it right on the point of his shoulder and squeezed. He went straight over backwards and began to kick up dirt. I was pleased but should have known something was off because Matheus immediately and excitedly said "reload and move up quickly, when he gets up shoot!" I was moving and ready but never expected him to get up. But about 60 yards away he jumped up and shakily began moving away. Matheus was right there with the sticks and I fired and knocked him down for good. As we got to the spot I first knocked him down there was blood everywhere and Matheus kneeled down and picked up a big piece of bone and handed it to me. I was amazed that he had gotten up with that much shoulder bone missing when I realized it was a tooth! I didn't realize Bobby was still videoing or I would have tried to watch my language a little better as I said "I hit him in the mouth? What the...!" Matheus had known by the way he went down he wasn't hit properly. Luckily my second shot had anchored him or we might not have ever found the old guy. I had hit him right in the bridge of the nose. Bobby and Matheus thought he had moved his head in line with his shoulder just as I squeezed, and maybe he did, but I was not happy. This was a huge, old gray-faced bull and he deserved better performance from me. Luckily my follow up was good and we had a great bull. But I needed to check my rifle again, so we had a great evening after another wildly successful day and made plans for me to take the rifle back to the range tomorrow.