Hi there, this is Sabine, writing on Nico`s account... (I have registered once, but forgot my password, so that will do for now).
After a slightly troubled start of our journey, since we had to wait hours for our train to the airport, due to heavy thunderstormes in Germany, we finally got to Frankfurt, got our stuff checked in (better give your bows to the firearms department right away, so there`s no trouble and everything will be handled with care), we climbed our Jumbo to Johannesburg. Some nice turbulences and another thunderstorm at 11000ft
![Smile :-) :-)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@14.0.2/assets/72x72/1f642.png)
later we finally got there, checked out and in again right away for our bushtaxi to Richards Bay, where Allison already waited for us to pick up. Allison`s texan mind could easily be recognized when watching her drive or arguing with the local police
![Smile :-) :-)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@14.0.2/assets/72x72/1f642.png)
, and we finally got to Pongola. Since it was near dark, we didn`t see much, but our chalets are really really nice. There we finally met Lammie as well, and we had our first taste of these delicious meals at the lodge, while at once feeling friends with our two hosts. They both are very down to earth, nice and funny...
We fell into bed after this long journey, but had to get up early next morning to check our bows (and shooting skills...) and then go bowhunting for the first time ever!
So... MY first day of hunting:
With Allison I went to "Intibane", the "Warthog blind" (as they all have names after the species that is most common at these places), but at first nothing happened at all. When the birds came back, i thought it would be a good sign for the other animals to be safe at this water hole, but it took another while for the first nyala bull to come near. What a great one, but that was not what I was waiting for, so we let him pass. Again, waiting, watching, trying to stay awake, when all of a sudden a very nice Impala ram strolled straight towards us. we just had enough time to get camera and bow ready, and there he was, standing broadside at about 18yds, bending down to drink. From all I`ve had heard about impala hunting, I knew that this was probably the best chance I`d ever get, so I took it. I drew my bow, and the last thiing I can recall is aiming low on the shoulder, just like all the books say and Lammie told us, and the arrow was on it`s way. The Impala dashed off, running just a few yards, then it stopped, coughed heavily, and off it went. My arrow lay there, a bit off to the left from where the animal had been, glistening from light red blood. Adrenalin was flowing freely in my veins, goose pimples all over my skin! I did it!
That was my first hunt ever, and all the time I had tried to imagine what it would be like, and now I just couldn`t tell, because everything happened too fast.
Then Allison and me watched the video she made. Oh no, my worst fears seemed to come true: the arrow impact was too high and a bit far back, not where I wanted it to be. I was worried if that would be a lethal shot and if we could recover the animal, since it seemed to be able to run quite some distance. But for now we had to be patient again.
We only saw some monkeys and warthogs, and Allison was staying in contact via sms with Lammie, who sat in the other blind with Nico.
The only thing Lammie answered was: Keep the patience, we will find it!
As they came to pick us up for lunch they told us that They had seen my Impala lying down at about 150ys away (but still alive, if only just).
We discussed this during lunch break, and everyone assured me that these things happen, especially with impalas.
After lunch we were back at the hide, but apart from spotting nyala, warthog families and one more beautiful impala ram there was no other chance of making a shot.
No problem, I was absolutely convenient with the course of the day, it was far more than I had hoped for.
In the evening at last we recovered that impala, and we saw that the arrow did come out further to the front than it went in, maybe because i must have hit a rib according to the look of the blade...
Nico`s Day one:
after a short, but good rest, as sabine just told, we got up at 6, shower, breakfast, shooting some practice arrows, to convince lammie that we are no complete idiots, and of we went...
after we dropped allison and sabine, we went to our blind, and we sat there for hours...
as all of you will know, waiting is what you will do 90% of the time... so we sat there, watching some nice nyala come by, a few warthogs with ther piglets... and waited again... i think lammie thought about getting a blue wildebeest bull or maybe a blesbok, but it turned out completely different....
we recieved the sms, that sabine shot her impala ram... so it was up to me, to follow...
we went off to the lodge to have lunch, one of those nice meal, which cant be mentioned too much. i`ll think by the time we leave i`ll have gained some weight.
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@14.0.2/assets/72x72/1f642.png)
after lunch, we went back, and as everyone will guess right, we sat their again, waiting... as lammie is the man he is, i had quite a hard time to keep silent, because of his jokes, and funny stories... laughing out loud while sitting in the hide, does not look like the best idea, if you are after some meat for dinner...
lammie decided, around 4 pm i think, that it would be a great idea to hop onto the car to get to different blind, where we might be lucky at last light...
we arrived there just 5 min later, and again we sat there...
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@14.0.2/assets/72x72/1f642.png)
all of a sudden a small wildebeest family came to the water... a really good looking bull, with cow and calf... lammie just gave me THAT look... i knew what to do... i silently grabbed my bow and got up. he opend the window for me... i drew back... slowly aiming at the bull. nearly... almost... just about.... 1 mm more and the arrow would have been on its way... but, lammie saw the cow moving... stop, dont shoot he whispered... so i took down the bow... no wildebeest bull for me this time. the cow just walked up right in front of the bull, and he left, covered by the cow... ok, then, next time i`ll be quicker...
after 15 min more of waiting, with 10 min of light left, there he was, standing broadside at the water... a good looking impala ram, that would be my last chance for that day, so i grabbed the bow again.... drew back... lammie opend the shooting window again...
aiming... off the arrow went... hit him perfectly right... he stringjumped about 8 feet(and we saw it on the video, he even reacted, about half a second before the arrow actually struck him) and fast as lightning he went off. i tried to follow, but could not see where he was going, so i lowered the bow. just that second, i hung the bow back onto the hook, lammie already congratulated me... shake hands... nice job...
the ram only went about 100 yards, and he was dead by the time i had hung the bow...
that was a quick and easy recovery... for the first bowhunt, i was more than pleased with the results... (rifle hunting becomes boring very quickly, when you experience something like that
![Big Grin :D :D](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@14.0.2/assets/72x72/1f600.png)
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just one picture we took... more will follow... sorry for the bad picture, i`ll post better ones when there will be a faster connection.