Day 7
Today was quite a windy day, and we tried various tactics to close in on some animals, even trying some techniques that reminded me of deer hunting. Starting off, we each got a Springbok, but the little buggers were tough to get close to. It was a fun hunt, and the more I hunted this property, the more I was glad that I had my .280. At least for me, it performed well, and I gained confidence in the rifle each day. The more time we spent with our PH, the more I felt like he was testing us. Testing our commitment to put in long days, walk on long treks and keep up, take some long shots (as least for us) and walk us through some nasty thorn thickets to see if we could maneuver around. Maybe he wasn’t, and this was normal for him. I don’t know if there is a way to ever know.
My Springbok was about 200 yards, and Tom’s was 250, and both dropped in their tracks. I wasn’t prepared for what happened as they died. The honey sweet smelling gland in the middle of the back, the way the hide opened up and how spectacular it looked for that brief moment. God always seems to have some pleasant surprises if we keep our eyes and minds open. My wife will love how soft the hide is.
As it was still morning and quite early, we continued to drive around to see what we’d see next before bringing these two animals to the skinning shed. Out in the middle of absolute nothingness but grass, we spotted (well Benji and Andre did) a group of Zebra. Andre stopped the truck and began to glass the group and look over the animals for a Stallion. For the past few days, I would anxiously point out numerous Zebra to Andre, but he’d quickly dismiss them as Mare’s, or young Stallions or a Stallion that was all beat up. He must have talked to my wife, as she wanted a “pretty rug”.
Apparently, there was such a specimen in this group. We unloaded from the vehicle and walked laterally in the grass to gain a better angle. When Andre set up the sticks, he must have noticed the concerned look in my eyes, because he made some comment like “What? My grandmother can make that shot! It’s only 350.” Well, with my man-card in question, I did my best to settle in when Andre instructed me to shoot it in a black strip so the taxidermist could repair it! My heartbeat was causing my crosshairs to bounce considerably, and I took a few deep breaths to settle down and took the shot! When I did, the harem departed, and the Stallion jumped as a heart shot deer would. He bucked and pogoed around for a few yards and fell over dead. Looking through my scope, I could see the red stain on his shoulder and so pleased that I had made this shot, as it was by far the longest shot I’ve ever made. I practiced in the gravel pits back home up to 300, but never this far. I can’t take all the credit because Andre did coach me on where to hold, and it worked perfect. Another lesson…always trust you guide!
Upon approaching the Zebra, I was so happy to have concluded my original list of animals, and to have had such wonderful experiences in doing so. I noticed that I missed the black stripes...but I didn't miss the heart! I'm glad there were 5 of us to load him up, as he was quite heavy. It was about noon, and Andre wanted to get these animals in the salt so we didn't have any hair slippage, which was fine with us, so we headed to the skinning shed and dropped off Benji to work his magic and we went back to the field for our afternoon hunt.
One of the animals on the "new list" was a Red Hartebeest, and we had been seeing several groups, but all of them would drift and hang out in the middle of the Pans that were dry. There was no way to approach them, so we decided to try deer hunting tactics! We drove to one of the Pans that has some trees and brush along the edge and checked the wind...and we put a plan in place. We drove over a ridge and hid the vehicle and walked back to the cover we found and settled in for the evening sit. To help up with our shooting, we brought our backpacks to rest our guns on because we knew we had to be lying prone to shoot this far.
We didn’t have to wait very long before a small group of Black Wildebeest came out, and then some Gemsbok and Eland. The Pan was filling up, and then along came a group of Hartebeest. It appeared the plan was working, and Andre ranged the animals at 320 yards. Apparently, another “chip shot for grandma”! Tom was up first, and Andre coached him in on monster of an animal. At the shot, his bull ran a few yards and piled up. The two other herds left the Pan, but the Hartebeest remained, not knowing what happened. Quickly, Tom and I changed places and Andre coached me in on another old male. After this morning’s shot on a Zebra, I wasn’t as hesitant, and laying on the ground I was much more stable. At the shot, I watch him buckle and take one step. Holy smokes! I can’t believe we just scored two more animals.
Loading the animals in the back of the truck, the sun has set, and we’ve again used the full day. Arriving at the lodge, Anton has prepared Gemsbok fillets, tongue, tripe and veges. Why not…I’ve never tried tripe before, and I must admit it was much better than I had imagined. The Gemsbok was probably the best meat I’ve ever eaten, and we both hope to have more in the coming days. I wonder what tomorrow will bring! We both feel blessed, and every evening before we eat our meal, Andre says the blessing, and tonight I pray an extra prayer. I'm thankful and very content. I want to bottle up this feeling and let some of it out on some of those tougher days ahead.
