I'm still getting synched to the time change and my wife handed me a massive honey do jar. I hope to add to this later but suffice it to say I had a blast. Hunted 3 properties with a great PH Johan and after 4 years finally got my baboon.
Day 1 off to the range to check my zero and after a few shots we are off to do a bit of scouting before dinner. Massive property with plenty of game but they are skittish so either shoot long or work on your stalking skills.
Day 2 Johan finds me 3 very nice Black Wildebeest with one being a great one. Unfortunately they are moving at 350 up high on the side of the mountain. Broke my first rule of don't shoot at moving animals and paid the price. He went down but jumped up and the 3 were off to higher ground. My PH went for the truck to cut them off while the 2 trackers and me followed them from what cover we could find. I got another very long shot at a steep angle but mistake#2 no rangefinder so parted the hair on his back only. We trailed him for the rest of the day but lost them.
Day 3 Johan takes me to a new place Comre for Eland. It is flatter, sparse cover and covered in stones. At my age I'm watching where my feet go more than the animals because a twisted ankle ruins the hunt. We finally spot some nice eland and low and behold one old gray bull. Sent Johan to get the truck and we followed them for a long ways till they stopped but a herd of giraffe had us spotted and pinned down. Nothing to do but wait till one or the other moved, thankfully the eland moved over the hill and we followed them. After spotting the old gray guy we started our stalk keeping what sparse cover there was between us till we closed to 300yds. I placed the crosshairs 8" over his shoulder and squeezed. The 7mm mag barked and he hunched I was sure he was done but you guys said keep shooting so a second produced another hunch then a slow turn and I dropped another quartering away. Down for the count. When Johan got there he looked at the 2 shots about 3" apart and said that where you hit him, nope those were the exit wounds, he couldn't believe it. Barnes 145LRX damn deadly. The 3rd was recovered and weighed 144gr. Getting him into the truck was even more of an adventure.
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