SOUTH AFRICA: My 2024 Season

[VertigoBE]

Congratulations on that Giraffe @Frederik! And of course well done for Aaron too, with the Warthog and the Blue Wilde Beest.

But mostly congrats on this great father-son adventure!

 

[PARA45]

Did you guys figure out why the chicken got you two sick? Was it bad?

I'm enjoying this report tremendously, some great animals taken.

 

[Frederik]

Did you guys figure out why the chicken got you two sick? Was it bad?

I'm enjoying this report tremendously, some great animals taken.

Chicken must have been off for sure but we couldn't smell that it was off before we put it on the braai.
There was 6 of us in camp that night and me and Adriaan shared one chicken. Other guys were fine and that explains how we got sick at the same time eating the chicken at the same time.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Congrats on a successful season so far. Really enjoy your writing and reports. Thanks for taking us along.

 

[Frederik]

So afternoon hunt started off with Aaron being dropped off with my ghillie suit and the 6.5x58 Portuguese Mauser in its original form no custom work to it. He was going to sit at a strategic point to see if he could bag a warthog or an impala ewe.

Myself and the other 3 hunters went out to see what we could find spot and stalk.
I was open to the idea of an zebra as well as Alic and Bruce and Derrick to impala and wharthog.

Alic was also game for a blue wildebees and kudu cow.

Aaron had a shot at an impala ewe and we went to help check for blood or any signs of a hit. But by his description it was a compelte miss as the ewe just stood there after the shot and then only ran off to join the others. In his defense the mausers sights are extremely fine and need getting use too we did practise with it quite a bit and he was proficient on hitting a target at 50 meters.
I quess the exitement got to him and he was not concentrating hard enough. We left him to sit again and went to spot and stalk again.

The zebra's must have known about our plan and gave us a good run around trying to outsmart them and the impala as it was the end of season was on high alert when hearing the vehicle. So we also dropped off Derrick and his son to do some proper stalking.

Which left me and Alic on the vehicle and we went blank except when picking up Derrick and his son before last light we found a kudu cow that was willing to give Alic a shot and she dropped on the spot.
So although it was a busy morning the afternoon was quiet and Alic got a good kudu cow for the freezer.

The night was spent around the bonfire and everyone had a taste of the giraffe fillet as most haven't tasted giraffe before.

Plans were set out for the morning Aaron would sit and wait with the portuguese mauser Derrick and his son stalk into the thick stuff after impala. Myself and me Alic would go after the zebra and wildebeest spot and stalk.

Zebra disaster

The zebra would keep going in circles on a hill not a koppie but it was very rocky and difficult to stalk. I had the 375 H&H with me and the owner asked if I mind to sit on this hill and position myself if the zebra would come past. I agreed and we also had plans to be back at camp 5pm for the rugby game between Ireland and the Springboks.

I took a nice position on a rock in the shade and had a good view from there. I had blesbuck coming past me at 40 meters and had a clear view. Just enjoying the birds and nature the blesbuck suddenly came past again much faster as being chased about 100 meters away. Something must have moved the blesbuck and good chance it was the zebra. I got ready set myself up on the sticks and then came the zebra and luckily slowed down following the blesbuck. I had a gap in the tree line about 100-120 meters away and made a call that if a decent zebra would stop there I would shoot.

The mare was about zebra no.8 and she stopped in the exact gap in the tree line I lined up to shoot her just on the top of the sergeant stripes. The shot went off she jumped and almost stumbled and then ran off after the rest with the rest of the herd following her.

I felt confident on the shot waited a few minutes and walked over to the spot where she stood while I contacted the others about the shot and the general directions the zebra herd was heading.
Following the path and some tracks after 20 meters I knew there was trouble, zebra bleed properly when hit in the vitals and I could only find spatter of blood.

I followed the tracks slowly as the tracks were difficult over the hard rocky surface with limited blood for another 1km or so. I was joined with the oters to help. Derrick and his son got picked up and me and the owner worked the tracks while the others went in a general dierection they were headed to maybe spot her.

What was not in my favour is that the mare didnt split form the herd which meant the hit was not a good one at all. The blood was also not thick and bright so I was supecting a superficial wound maybe a stomach.

At 5pm after loosing her tracks amongst the rest of the herd tracks and not finding anymore blood I made the call to go back to camp and enjoy the rugby and get back on her the next monring early and give her chance to stiffen up and hopefully die.

I obviously didnt enoy the rugby that much and we lost right at the end with 1 point so rugby was a loss and me who basically haven't wounded an animals in a long time was bust.

Sunday, we were all up early and made a call to look for her untill 10pm. we headed out to the last spot on the tracks and followed it as far as we could we dropped off the others to walk in a line in the general direction where the herd was heading.

Few minutes after dropping the guys off that was walking in the line we found some blood where she stood but a small amount nothing to get exited about. We took the track no more blood and then decided to take the vehicle to cover more ground as she has not split from the herd yet.

We went bust went into extermely thick stuff after the herd on tracks but only busted wildebeest and impalas covered the small farm properly but did not get sight of any zebra except for 3 stallions that was on their own.

So we went and packed up the owner siad if they spot her they would call me if they found her alive or dead but I have not herd anything so it was a wounded animal for me. It would have been my second zebra but it was not meant to be.

Hunt enough and succesfull eventually you will wound it not a precise science.
It's the second animal the 375 has wounded since 1994 obvioulsy not the rifles fault but the driver.

 

[Frederik]

So my brother finally decideds to get married at 45 years of age his first.
Try and organize a bachelors at that age in South Africa as most of his mates are gone overseas for work. Luckily there was a small get together with good friends on a farm in the Free State province.

1 August were on route to camp and hunt on the farm cold or not we are going. This is a working farm 12500 acres not High fence except for a small piece fenced off of 150 Acres.
Our Friend Bob decided it was time for a new camping area and got a pice with a slop going up to at as backstop for a shooting range up to 700 meters, next to a small dam or pond filled from the rain.

Home for the next few days camp setup and ready to go.

Game to be found was free range kudu, warthogs and some lost game form nearby game farms that couldn't keep them in.

Next door neighbour wanted to take off 5 x wildebeest cows otherwise it was a search for mainly kudu.
As with a bachelor there was a heap of liquor at the camp. As we called the first night our next to the fire getting "Acquainted evening!"

Yes there was good ampount of alcohol consumed after all it is a bachelors.
Please note no firearms were harmed fondled or used during these episodes.

All I can say is that my brother was getting smarter after every drink. By 1 Am we called it quits and headed to our respected tents.

So the next morning not so early we got up steadily to find this.

Don't think any translation is needed.

As some of you know the Free State can get extremely cold with a fierce wind that was howling through the previous day.

After some very needed fix it up juice from a can on fire we headed out to find my brother his very first blue wildebeest.

A quick breafast from the left overs of the previous night which was Lamb ribs on the fire we headed out to the neighbour's farm for the blue wildebeest.

The farm was dotted with game all of which was off the menu, Common Blesbuck, white blesbuck addleback blesbcuk, springbuck as well some ostriches. There was one area where there was good thick stuff and we drove around it and spotted the wild beests among the trees. As we drove closer they went to the other side of the thick stuff and thats when me and Vincnet my brother got off and stalked thme as the wind was perfect.

Spotting them just on the outskirts of the thisck bush we zigzagged among the buhes to get closer and at 120 meter I setup the shooting sticks for my brother. We talked about the shot placement and told him to make sure it's not too high. He was using my 7x57 loaded with 140gr Safari Bullet Comapny bullets running at 2800fps . Perfect load for the flats. The herd mingled and spotted us but was not sure what we were. I identified a large cow at the far left she stood perfectly broadsie as a young one walked past her and he took the shot.

She jumped nicely and we hit the hit the herd thun dered off and we lost her among them. Expecting to see her drop anytime they ran downhill and then heaed more to our right further downhill to a dry creek bed.

With the lay of the land that it is I told my brother no worries she would be piled up just past the slope that we could not see.

To be continued