SOUTH AFRICA: TERMINATOR 10 Day Group Hunt with KMG Hunting Safaris in East Cape RSA July 25-August 5

[TERMINATOR]

Day 4 Lincoln and Ben Day 4 Morning

Day 4 saw Lincoln looking for a Nyala at a ranch that holds a very good population of them and is known to have very nice bulls. They spent the morning looking for and looking over several bull Nyala, but none that got Marius excited enough to get Lincoln on the shooting sticks. They broke for lunch, then went back at it for the afternoon. Once again, they found several Nyala but now shooters. So even though they had glassed over 20 Nyala bulls, Lincoln failed to hit the scoreboard on Day 4 as Marius was holding out for a real good one. That's how it goes when you have high standards...and the team at KMG definitely has HIGH STANDARDS. Many more days to hunt so Lincoln was in good spirits given he already had nice Impala, Blesbok and his dream Kudu in the salt.

Meanwhile Ben. who already had a Warthog, Blesbok and Bushbuck in the salt , was taking his turn looking for a Zebra. They were also keeping an eye out for a good Impala as both of those were on his "hit list".

They spent the morning looking for Zebra. They found some, but the zebra were in a position that did not lend itself to stalk at that time. They were in such a position that there was no way to get in on them without the wind being bad, so they mentally made a note to check on them again later.

A second group was spotted with a nice stallion in it and they put a stalk on them. Somewhere in route, the zebra must have spotted the movement and while not totally spooked, they were alert/nervous and kept moving off whenever Ben and Lloyd tried to close in. Centuries of being preyed upon by Lions and Leopards have made zebra evolve to have keen eye sight and be super wary in the thick cover of the Eastern Cape. Once again, anybody that thinks zebra are "easy" probably have not hunted them in the thick cover and hills of the Eastern Cape. Maybe in flat, more open terrain they are...but our experience was typical. You work for your zebra more often than not.

So "Group 2" of Zebra was also added to the "check on them later" list.

As the team was driving back to the lodge for lunch, the tracker spotted some Impala about 500 yards off the road, feeding on a hillside and pounded on the bakkie's roof. Lloyd stopped and glassed for a minute. They got out of the vehicle and glassed the herd while Lloyd broke out his spotting scope to really look over the best male. Lloyd decided he was a shooter and they plotted out a stalk to get the wind in their favor and to close the distance.

After a slow, careful 30 minute stalk, they were 220 yards out and Ben settled into the shooting sticks. His 338 Win Mag was zeroed at 200 yards, so he held just a hair high and squeezed the trigger....

Booom....the 200 grain Hornady SST bullet pounded the Impala on the shoulder and dropped him in is tracks...DRT as they say.

So the morning of Ben's day 4 ended with his fourth animal in the Salt

#PoundThatImpala
#KMGHuntingSafaries

Ben and Jessica with Ben's Heavy Old Impala.
Jessica was a real trooper and went on almost every stalk with Ben. She has no desire to hunt herself but loved the experience of stalking the animals from front to back. She is definitely a "keeper"

Another angle on Ben's Impala

 

[TERMINATOR]

Boom You go Dad!! Nothing better than hunting with your sons and building memories!! That kudu by itself is worth the trip alone!!

Yes....yes it was.

Was awesome to watch my son put that guy in the salt.

Derek was blown away with his first safari already at that point. And it was only 1/3 done

 

[TERMINATOR]

Such a great report, thanks for sharing the great time and memories y'all made.

Glad you are enjoying it.
Was tremendous father/son time
Stay tuned....lots more hunting to report on

 

[flatwater bill]

Jealousy is preventing me from writing a rational evaluation of your hunt. I can only muster, OMG, what trophies! (And a great and detailed write up to boot)..............FWB

 

[TERMINATOR]

Jealousy is preventing me from writing a rational evaluation of your hunt. I can only muster, OMG, what trophies! (And a great and detailed write up to boot)..............FWB

Thank you Bill.

We had a tremendous hunt for sure. Marius and his team of Nick and Lloyd definitely guided us to some great animals.

Watching my son and two good friends experience Africa for the 1st time was really special to me. It can't be described. By Day 2 they were talking like "when we come back....". Taking a beautiful Black Impala to join my two standard colored Southern Impala was just the icing on the cake. At least to that point anyway. I just love Impala and have to take one every trip.

But for me, my best trophy was still to come. Stay tuned

 

[flatwater bill]

A little tangential maybe, but pertinent still; @TERMINATOR we never know when the wheels are going to fall off. It can happen to the young as well as the old. We also don't know how the World will change. A trip like you have just had is what makes a life a good life. I am now seriously considering your hunt operator for my next Trip. Your trophies are exceptional, but at my age that is less important. Having hunted all 6 continents, what really matters to me is the quality of the trip. Your experience with family and friends made me read this several times. One can learn a lot about AH members from a hunt report. I salute you, and your PH's.......................................FW Bill

 

[randallhebert]

That kudu is awesome!

Wow is a understatement

 

[TERMINATOR]

A little tangential maybe, but pertinent still; @TERMINATOR we never know when the wheels are going to fall off. It can happen to the young as well as the old. We also don't know how the World will change. A trip like you have just had is what makes a life a good life. I am now seriously considering your hunt operator for my next Trip. Your trophies are exceptional, but at my age that is less important. Having hunted all 6 continents, what really matters to me is the quality of the trip. Your experience with family and friends made me read this several times. One can learn a lot about AH members from a hunt report. I salute you, and your PH's.......................................FW Bill

That means a lot coming from you Bill!

You will never regret time spent hunting with Marius @KMG Hunting Safaris. Not only is he a tremendous hunter but his integrity is beyond question. He burns the candles at both ends making sure all of his hunts go off as perfectly as possible. And his team is a joy to spend time with in the field and at the lodge.

I don't hunt exclusively with KMG because sometimes I just like different experiences. But I never stop thinking about my next visit to the East Cape for a reunion with the people that I truly consider friends at this point.

As far as this trip...yes...we never know which trip will be our last for whatever reason. I think I have a few more in me (I have two safaris booked for 2026 right now). But if this one did turn out to be my last...it was a trip that was truly special doing it with my son and good friends. I could die with a smile on my face and happiness in my soul after this trip.

And there are some great animals to come yet in my report

 

[Antanas]

Yea, pretty much everybody that saw that Kudu was like "Yea, that's the Holy Grail right there..."

He can always get a Fallow Deer on a future trip. That is what he had to cut out of the budget plus add some unbudgeted money. It definitely was the right call.

Sure it is life time trophy also official just second in size for KMG !!!

 

[TERMINATOR]

Ben Day 4 Afternoon

So after taking the Impala late morning, Ben and Lloyd took lunch, then set up for the afternoon to find a Zebra for Ben.

Happily the afternoon had the hunting gods smiling on them. Within an hour they spotted a group of zebra feeding on a hillside 600 yards away.

Lloyd broke out the spotting scope again and confirmed there was a good stallion in the group. This time, the hillside they were feeding him would allow for them to get up behind the group with the wind in their favor...IF the group stayed in that general area long enough to execute the stalk.

So Lloyd swapped his spotting scope and the group headed off in a circular stalk to get on the back side of that hillside, moving as quickly as they could go while crouching over. The group was practically jogging while hunched over and got to the back side of the hill the zebra were feeding on.
Once behind the hill they could move quickly while upright to give their backs a break.

As the PH's often do when on a stalk with animals in side, Lloyd left his tracker back near the truck and had him watch the zebra and provide updates during the stalk. As they neared the point where Lloyd was prepared to peak over the top, hoping to be maybe 100 yards from the zebra, the tracker informed him the zebra were still there but had fed their way further down the hill towards the valley below it. They zebra were still there and undisturbed, but just further away.

When Lloyd, Ben and Jessica peaked over the top of the hill, they could see the zebra below them, but by now they were further out. Lloyd ranged the group at 310 yards.

The hillside below them was pretty open between the group and the zebra and they could set up with Ben prone, shooting over his pack. So they elected to take the shot from there instead of risking trying to get closer. Ben's 338 Win Mag was plenty of gun, but he was shooting with a scope that, while fine optics, did not have a marked elevation turret. He had practiced out to 350 yards and knew what to do, but it meant at 310 yards, with his gun sighted at 200 yards, he would be laying the crosshairs along the zebras back right above his shoulder. Ben got settled in and confirmed he was steady and felt confident about the shot. Lloyd gave him the go ahead and made sure Ben was on the correct zebra.

Ben flipped off the safety, and waited for the target zebra to turn and give him the best possible angle broadside. The stallion was quartering away, and with a 310 yard shot Ben wanted a full broadside. After a couple minutes, the zebra complied and turned broadside. Ben got his breathing right, held his breath and settled the crosshairs along the line of the zebras back.

The .338 roared and the 200 Grain Hornady SST bullet dropped right into the "strike zone" landing solidly just behind the zebra's shoulder. Zebra are tough and the stallion staggered at the hit...but gathered himself and started to run off. Ben racked another shell into the chamber and tried to get back on the stallion, but before he could the stallion crashed to the ground while at a full gallop after running less than 75 yards. The shot to the lungs had done its job with the bullet resting under the hide on the far side of the zebra after shredding both lungs.

High fives were given and Jessica gave Ben a hug. Jessica had wanted a zebra rug for their family room very badly and she was super happy. As was Ben of course.

Like Lincoln and Derek, Ben was primarily a whitetail hunter, mostly hunting from a stand and making shots at point blank range. This was Ben's longest shot ever on a game animal by far, but our pre-hunt practice had paid off with knowing the bullet drop on his rifle at 300 yards. He made a great shot.

So Ben's Day 4 came to an end after the photo session and the team getting the zebra loaded into the hunting bakkie

#StallionDown
#338WinMagSmash
#KMHHuntingSafaris

Meanwhile Derek and I were on a ranch 70 miles away looking for a Gemsbok and my dream plains game animal...a Sable.

To be continued....

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Just now catching up on your report. Fantastic Kudu and congratulations on some magnificent animals so far!
Very much enjoying your detailed report and style of writing

 

[TERMINATOR]

Just now catching up on your report. Fantastic Kudu and congratulations on some magnificent animals so far!
Very much enjoying your detailed report and style of writing

Thanks Mark. I appreciate the compliment on my writing.

I have been published in fishing magazines several times. I get a bit annoyed with the 30 minute time limit to edit here because sometimes I make a typo and don't notice it until after the 30 minutes is up. I am used to having a lot of time to proofread/re-read/edit things and I am kind of a perfectionist. I strive to make the reader feel like they went along on the hunt. That is my goal.
Hopefully that is how people feel most of the time when they read my reports.

We had a great group hunt with Marius and @KMG Hunting Safaris and it was fun to share the hunt with my son and friends.

Derek's Kudu was a beast for the East Cape of RSA. Now he is like "Only 716 days before we go back!!!"

 

[AZDAVE]

That is a tank of a Kudu. Congratulations!!!

 

[SSG Joe]

Day 3 Derek

Day 3 saw Lincoln, Ben and their wives take the day off to go on a Game Drive arranged by Marius to a nearby Game Reserve. There they could see/photograph some of the animals we would not see on our hunt....mainly the Big 5. It was a windy and chilly day but they bundled up and had a very nice day with a stop for lunch.

Meanwhile Nick took Derek out looking for a Bushbuck again at first light, then we would go from there looking for an Impala or Hartebeest.

Nick headed for another large free ranch ranch where he had often taken Bushbuck. The road up to the hunting area was very steep and very rugged...even by South Africa ranch standards LOL I mean it might have been the nastiest road I have ever been on.

As we headed to the spot Nick liked for Bushbuck, we spotted some Nyala and Kudu Cows. By now Derek was getting really good at spotting the local animals but it takes some doing to spot them BEFORE the PH or tracker did. I mean Nick can drive on the nastiest of roads, be sending messages on his cell phone arranging the next days hunts (thank god for Siri LOL) AND spot animals that we would not see.

At one point Nick stopped the vehicle and raised his binoculars. After a second he said "that's a real good Kudu over there". I have a nice Kudu and was filling holes in my collection this trip (Black Impala checked off...Sable to come) and Kudu wasn't in Derek's plan/budget for this trip, was to be the key animal for a future trip, so after a minute we moved on towards the Bushbuck spot Nick likes to glass on that ranch.

We glassed for about an hour while Nick told us tales of the local area's interesting history. No shooter Bushbuck.

I could tell something was puzzling/troubling Nick and I ask "What's up...it seems like your mind is elsewhere?" Nick replied "I cant get that Kudu we saw on the way in out of my mind. I think it is a REALLY good one". I said "Well, let's go see if we can find him again and have a look. If he is that good I would consider taking him". So we went back where we had seen the Kudu bull where the road ran along the ridgetop, stopped and started glassing. Nick located the Kudu bull not far from where he had been before, still feeding contently on a bush below a large rock outcropping. He was about 600 yards away, well below us across the valley on the opposite hillside.

After looking at the bull briefly in the binoculars, Nick broke out his spotting scope. A couple minutes later Nick turned to us and said "Guys....that is the biggest Kudu bull I have ever seen while hunting myself or guiding. It is brute. It will be a crime if one of you does not hunt him." He was practically pleading for us to hunt him.

I looked at Derek. Being "the dad" and this being Derek's first Safari I deferred to him to have first option. Nick said "Derek, you could come back to Africa 10 years in a row specifically looking for a Kudu...and probably never get a chance at a fair chase, free range Kudu that big."

Derek was sold. He decided to forgo one of his target animals for this trip and blow though his budget if need be to try and capitalize on this potentially once in a lifetime opportunity that had been placed in his lap.

So we grabbed the shooting tripod and Nick plotted a path down the hillside we were on to take us lower and position us directly across the canyon from the feeding Kudu bull.

The Kudu was facing away from us which helped but we went as fast as we could side hilling down lower and lower. At one point we lucked onto an old road/trail that allowed us to move more quickly until we were directly across from the Kudu but sill somewhat above him. Nick read the range at 370 meters (just over 400 yards) and wanted to get closer. The trail continued on across the hillside but this was as close as it came to the Kudu, so we dropped off that trail and crouching, slowly worked down the hillside. The last portion was pretty steep and we just sat on our ass and slide slowly down the hillside until we reached a clump of bushes that gave us some cover and were almost directly across from the Kudu.

This was as close as we were going to get.

Nick and Derek were just below Timba the the tracker and I on the hillside. I was watching the Kudu and Nick set up the tripod to fit a sitting position and Derek settled in. Nick read the range....288 meters. Quick math said 316 yards. Derek set the CDS for 315

We were all watching the Kudu, Derek through is scope, Nick, Timba and I through our binoculars as we watched the Kudu feed with his ass towards us, waiting for him to turn and give us a better shot angle.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably 10 minutes, the Kudu turned and moved to feed on a bush next to him. That put him almost broadside facing left. I knew a shot was coming, but still jumped a little when I heard Derek's 7MM Wby roar.

I watch the Kudu stagger, rocked at the impact as the 160 grain TBBC hit him dead on the shoulder. He took a step, then fell to the ground. Derek didn;t wait to see what happened next, he had racked another shell and sent another round into the Kudu who was now laying kind of away from us head up the slope of the hillside. Derek's 2nd shot hit him mid body and angled into the off shoulder.

The Kudu was done. Whoops and high fives were given and Derek looked relieved. We had practiced out to 400 yards but at was the longest shot he had ever made on a game animal and had done it from a tough position on the side hill.

But he got it done.

The Kudu would measure 56" on one side and 57" on the other. He had deep curls that damn near came together in the middle and ivory tips.

The Trophy of a Lifetime for Derek.

And I was there to see it.

Now it was time to get over to the other hillside and get to work on the Kudu.

It was 1pm before the photos were done, the kudu skinned and the carcass cut in two and hauled up to the nearest spot we could get the hunting bakkie, 60 yards above the Kudu. So we called it a day and went to the lodge to toast Derek's great fortune.

View attachment 626833View attachment 626836

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what an Awesome bull!

 

[SSG Joe]

What a great "after-action" report. I almost felt I was there with you and the rest of your party.
Awesome animals! Especially the Impala and Kudu Bull. I can't wait to read about the rest of the hunt.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Day 4 Derek


While Lincoln was searching for a Nyala without luck and Ben was whacking an Impala and Zebra, Derek and I had ridden with Nick to a ranch 40 minutes away. I knew the ranch well as I had taken my first Cape Buffalo there with Marius and Nick two years prior in 2022. It was a hunt I will never forget and I was happy to be back there to relive those memories while we looked for shooter Gemsbok and Sable.

The ranch held a nice population of Gemsbok and Sable, with multiple old bulls of each to look for.

We would start the morning at first light looking for a good Sable as they tend to be most active early and late. We would then spend mid morning to mid afternoon looking for a good Gemsbok, switching back to Sable late afternoon if I had not killed in the morning. That was the plan.

First light saw us slowly moving down a road into an area known to hold Sable on that ranch. One of the trackers from the ranch had joined us as he knew the ranch and the animals well, so it was Derek and I with Nick inside the bakkie and the two trackers in the high seats in the back.

As we were slowly moving down the road, a Bull Sable started across the road, 50 yards in front of us, saw the truck and then bolted into the thick bush to our left. Even in the brief moment Nick had seen him, Nick knew that the Sable was a shooter, so he backed the truck up a ways, then told me to grab my rifle.

We took off in a circular stalk with the wind in our favor, circling to try and get ahead of the Sable by circling around to get in front of the direction the Sable had bolted. We skirted the edge of a large thick group of trees until we were opposite of where we saw the sable bolt into the brush. After glassing the more open area to our left, Nick was convinced that the Sable was still in the thick bush to our right and had not exited after going in. This was good as we were now directly downwind of where Nick suspected the Sable to be.

After glassing the openings we could see in the trees, Nick indicated to follow him as he SLOOOOOOOOOWWWLY inched his way into the trees. The trackers took the lead, followed by Nick, then myself, then Derek. At one point the trackers stopped so we all stopped. Timba, Nicks tracker silently touched his ear and then his nose and point ahead and to the right. He was telling us that he heard and even smelt the Sable and that he was very close.

We all dropped to our knees to try and peer through the bush, low enough to see under most of the branches. That worked....kind of. After some looking Nick pointed. We could see the 4 legs of a Sable in the thick trees just 30 yards away. Thankfully the wind was in our favor, so the Sable would not smell us. But we could not see the Sable's head to verify if he was THE Sable we saw or another Shooter Sable or a young Sable. Heck, I could not have even got a shot through to the vitals even if we knew it was a shooter.

It was a Mexican standoff....him not moving and us not daring to move....

What to do?

After a while the Sable took a couple steps. We were pretty sure he knew we were there, maybe had caught some movement as we snuck into the bush, but had not smelled us or got a good look at us to confirm what we were. He took a couple steps and froze again. Nick silently signaled for Derek and the trackers to stay still, then indicated for me to follow him as he crawled a little to the side, trying to get an angle where he could see the Sable's head.

That was it....the Sable bolted, followed by another one that was 20 yards further back behind him. Quickly we jumped up and ran to the edge of the tress and try and see if the two Sable emerged. When we got there, were had just enough time to see the two Sable running up a hillside between trees and watched them disappear over a hill. We hustled up the hill to where they had gone over but by then we had lost them into the thick trees in the next valley. We decided not to push them any more and to let them settle down and if need be come back and check the area in the evening.

So we hiked back to the bakkie and circled around the hill they had run over to the other side of the valley they had run into, while keeping an eye out for more Sable. After a while, Timba pounded on the roof of the truck. Nick stopped an glassed. We found what Timba had seen. About 800 yards away up near the top of a hill to the left of the vehicle was another Bull Sable. He was on the edge of some trees. The Sable was not spooked...but he was aware of us and watching us. Nick liked what he saw in the binoculars and got the spotting scope out and confirmed that he was a mature bull, a good trophy.

We discussed the situation. Then was no way to get the truck behind where he was on the hill. The only option was to pass on him and look for one in a more accessible area or to try a stalk that would allow us to circle to the side of him, keeping the wind in our favor, and close to within shooting distance. The hillside was pretty open with only a few clumps of trees here and there. It was a low percentage proposition to try and get within shooting range without the alerted Sable spooking. But it was getting later in the morning and we knew the Sable would be bedding down before long, so we figured we had nothing to lose. So we gave it a shot.

We circled left, to get the wind in our favor then started moving up the hill, single file to present a single silhouette to the Sable...moving from tree to tree.. We only made it about 200 yards before the Sable had seen enough of this movie...apparently he had seen it before...so he bolted over the hill and was gone.

Oh well...nothing ventured nothing gained. We went back to the truck.

Nick decided we should switch over to looking for a Gemsbok for Derek and resume looking for Sable in the late afternoon. We agreed, so Nick talked to the ranch tracker and set out for an area of the ranch where the ranch tracker said was a favorite area of the Gemsbok. So off we went.

About 30 minutes later we were working up a hill on a rough road. Nick has a saying "Rough roads lead to good things" Multiple times through our hunt that proved to be true. The roughest road I had ever traveled took us past Derek's monster Kudu. Well, this road wasn't THAT bad...but it was pretty bad. Suddenly, once again....thump, thump, thump came the pounding on the roof. About 450 yards off, feeding through some tall grass between clumps of bushes on a hillside, was a group of 20-25 Gemsbok. Nick stopped the truck and stepped out of the bakkie to evaluate them. He confirmed there looked to be a couple shooters in the group, but one bull really had his attention. He said we should immediately close the distance, take a final look to confirm he was a shooter by KMG standards and take him if so.

Nick reversed the truck to park it behind some trees out of sight of the Gemsbok, then we piled out of the truck and worked through that clump of trees, then moved bush to bush toward the Gemsbok. Single file, as much as possible keeping a bush between us and the Gemsbok. We quickly closed the distance to inside 300 yards, then made a slower approach as we slipped inside 200 yards. At about 160 yards we were running out of cover and if we went much further we would be exposed in the open...so we held there and Nick took a moment to do a final evaluation of the target bull. He confirmed it was what we wanted.

Nick set his Tripod and Derek settled into it with his rifle. His 7mm Wby was zeroed for 200 yards so there would be no need for adjustment...just put it tight to the shoulder and shoot. Easy, peasy.

Except the hunting gods forgot to tell the Gemsbok to stand still and smile for the camera...

Just as Derek was squeezing, the Gemsbok took a step to his left when the trigger broke. The bullet hit a little far back...not dead in the guts, but it looked to be just behind the lungs. I heard Derek mutter some stuff that only 8 years in the military can teach a guy The Gemsbok was hit hard but probably not in the lungs. The herd broke over the hill. Derek put the gun on safe and he, Nick and the trackers took off on a jog towards where the Gemsbok crested the hill. I followed along, but at 64 years ancient and with a bunch of metal in my back, no way was I keeping up with trackers, a 27-year-old PH who hikes for a living and my son, a 36-year-old military vet only a couple years out from doing regular training runs.

I was about 50 yards behind them when they got to the top of the hill. I stopped and looked at the group through my binoculars. Nick glassed for a few seconds, then set the shooting sticks once again. And once again Derek settled into them. I heard his rifle crack, watched Derek work the bolt, then heard another CRACK of the rifle. After the 2nd one I saw Nick slap Derek on the back so I knew that the Gemsbok was down.

They waited for me to get to them, then apologized for not waiting for me as they ran ahead. I told them I was glad they did. I wanted them to do whatever it took to close the deal and certainly didn't want to slow them down and lose the animal just because I am old.

They pointed and 90 yards below us I could see the Gemsbok laying in the dirt. They told me that when they got to the top, the Gemsbok was walking slowly, obviously hurt but still walking. Derek's second shot had been dead on the shoulder...but the Gemsbok soaked up the thump of his 160 grain TBBC. He stopped dead in his tracks but was STILL on his feet despite taking approximately 3000 ft lbs of energy into his shoulder and through his lungs. Derek's third shot hit the shoulder again...just two inches from the other one. This time the Gemsbok toppled over and was done.

Derek's Gemsbok went just under 37" An ancient old bull with heavy rings and scared up, broomed horns. Derek was relieved to get it in the dirt after the first shot went further back than desired And elated to get a good old Gemsbok. His teeth were worn down the gums like many of the animals we have taken with @KMG Hunting Safaris. They tend to focus on taking really old animals, even if they don't always score the highest in the record books after the animals horns get broomed back some. Neither Derek or I care about record books and we will both take "ancient" over a higher scoring younger animal every time.

So it was time for the photos and to get the Gemsbok to the skinning shed. Then we would have lunch and get back out looking for my Sable.

#GladToGetThatGemsbok
#KMGHuntingSafaris

 

[TERMINATOR]

what an Awesome bull!

Yea, he was a stud. Derek doesn't need to spend any more time hunting Kudu...because it would be unlikely that he would ever top that one.

 

[TERMINATOR]

What a great "after-action" report. I almost felt I was there with you and the rest of your party.
Awesome animals! Especially the Impala and Kudu Bull. I can't wait to read about the rest of the hunt.

Thanks!

Stay tuned. Nothing tops that Kudu...but we have a few things that come close

 

[TERMINATOR]

Day 4 Skip

So after spending the early morning looking for a Sable for me without luck, then finding Derek's really nice Gemsbok just before lunch, we ate a nice lunch at the ranch, sipped some coffee then set off again to look for a Sable.

We went back where we had seen Sable in the morning. We would stop on high points and glass looking for Sable getting out for the evening feed. We saw some young bulls and cows but no shooter Sable. This went on for a couple hours. By now it was getting to be later in the afternoon. The time I refer to as "Killing Time"....the last 2 hours before sun would slip behind the hills.

Nick had a discussion with the local ranch tracker, making a plan for where to go and scout next. I couldn't understand a word they said, speaking in the trackers language, but it was obvious they had settled on a plan. Nick took the bakkie around to a very large hill...probably the highest point on the ranch. It was a very rough road getting up to the top ("rough roads lead to good things") but the hunting truck worked it's way up to the top. The view there was spectacular. We could see for miles in every direction. We started glassing, focusing our efforts on two of the closest valley's where Nick and the tracker said were known to be favored by the Sable.

After about 15 minutes, Derek ask Nick "What's that black thing down there? I am pretty sure it moved" Derek pointed out what he was looking at, using a rock pile to direct us where he was looking. "4 O'Clock down the hill from that rock pile". It was a little over a mile away.

Nick looked and said "That's a Sable...a bull. I need a better look". Nick grabbed the spotting scope which was on the tripod next to him and focused on the Sable" A couple minutes later Nick said "Yea, that's a shooter. A real good bull."

Quickly Nick and the tracker put a stalk plan together. The Sable was in a real good position. A road ran down off he hilltop we were on winding towards the Sable. The Sable was feeding in a clearing about 100 yards to the left of the road and the wind was blowing from the Sable mostly towards the road. We could use the road to stalk close then cut into the bush and approach the Sable, assuming he stayed where he was. That was the plan. Now we just needed the Sable to go along with the plan and keep feeding in that area.

We mentally marked a rock pile on the side of the road as the point to cut in towards the Sable and piled into the bakkie. Nick drove to edge of the hill onto the road leading down towards the feeding Sable. Nick cut the engine and used gravity and his breaks to slowly and silently work down the hill. Once we were about halfway down the hill we lost sight of the Sable, which was good. It meant he could no longer notice the truck moving down the hill. So Nick let the truck decsend as fast as the rocky road would allow until he got to the bottom of the hill. Now we were about 800 yards from where we would cut into the bush towards the Sable. Not wanting to fire up the engine, Nick pulled to the side of the road and we piled out, making sure not to slam the doors on the bakkie and started down the road. We knew the Sable could not see us so we walked briskly towards the landmark rock pile, rapidly closing the distance to 400 yards before we cut in.

We had left the tracker Timba up on the rock pile to watch the Sable and suddenly he came on the radio which was turned down very low. Whispering, Timba told Nick that the Sable had quit feeding in the clearing and was moving toward the road we were on!!!

We ducked behind a bush on the side of the rocky dirt road and watched. A minute later, out stepped the Sable about 400 yards in front of us. Nick, looking through his binoculars.got a big smile....I took that as a good sign.

The Sable crossed the road we were on then slowly started feeding on the grasses along the side of the road, working his way up the road away from us. Apparently whatever was growing along the side of the road....Sable like it. He was just slowly walking away from us, feeding as he went.

Not wanting to take a 400 yard "Texas Heart Shot", we would wait until his head was down then quickly advance up the side of the road in the tall grass, moving as fast as we could, then freeze when the bull lifted his head. We went through that exercise 4 or 5 times...the bull slowly feeding and us closing some distance when his head was down. It helped that his ass was towards us since it make him less likely to see us. We were now about 175 yards out and the Sable didn't know were were tailing him. Nick set up the shooting sticks, and I settled into them. We just needed him to turn a little and give me some kind of quartering away shot.

It didn't happen. He just keep feeding away from us with his ass towards us. While I was on the sticks waiting for him to turn a little he had fed out beyond 200 yards. Nick, gathered the sticks and once again we closed to get inside 200 yards and Nick set the sticks again and read the range at 170 meters. Point blank range...no scope adjustment needed. We waited for him to give us some shoulder to shoot at...and once again the Sable declined to offer me one. This Sable bull definitely had not read the script because he refused to go along with our plan.

So again the Sable had feed out past 220 yards and once again Nick gathered up the shooting sticks and we moved forward. I kept waiting for the Sable to catch the movement behind him and bust us but the hunting gods with with us and again we closed the distance and Nick set the sticks for a third time. For a third time I settled into the sticks, flipped off the safety on my 300 Wby and got my breathing under control. Nick confirmed the range saying 170 meters. "187 yards...point blank" I thought to myself.

Finally the Sable F*cked up and made a quarter turn to his left. He stopped and looked back at us. Since we were stationary in the knee deep grass on the side of the road he apparently was trying to figure what we were all about. One second later....he found out!

Boom!!!! The big 300 roared and the Sable dropped where he stood!!! I racked another shell and got back on him in case he got back up on his feet. He didn't After a minute Nick said to put the safety on but remain "ready" as we approached him and be prepared to hit him again. We got to him just as he was taking his last breaths and moved on to "Sable Heaven".

I admired the beautiful animal so a couple minutes and was internally filled with emotions I can't describe having taken my dream plains game animal and having him be a great trophy. He was jet black with heavy, battle scarred, sweeping horns that went 43". Like many of the animals I have taken with @KMG Hunting Safaris , the Sables teeth were worn to the gums. The perfect animal to take out of the herd and he will look stunning in my trophy room.

Light was fading so we set up the Sable and started the photo session. Then just as the light was almost gone we loaded him into the bakkie and took him to the skinning shed.

We all toasted my good fortune and the exciting, nerve racking stalk as we followed the Sable waiting for a shot, repositioning 3 times to keep up. The cold Windhoek Lager's disappeared quickly while we waited for the Sable to be skinned and caped.

When we examined him at the skinning shed we saw that my shot had been a little left of target...but still gave a good result. As he quartered away to the left, I had tried to slip the bullet behind the shoulder into the far shoulder or out the far side of the chest. But I had pulled the shot left a little. Instead the 180 grain Accubond had hit straight on the shoulder, sending bone fragments into his lungs, and carried on up into his neck below the spine. It was a slight miss on my part but a lucky one that still had a deadly result.

It was well after dark when we loaded up the Sable, said "Goodbye" and "Thank you" to the people from the ranch and set off for our lodge with a Gemsbok for Derek and a Sable for me. A nice double for the day.

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[SSG Joe]

What a beautiful Sable!