After another intense photo shoot we returned to the lodge to drop off my sable and to grab a quick bite to eat. Day 1 was already a great success. Two phenomenal animals and with still plenty of time for my lion within the next 3 days. We were definitely ahead of schedule!
I later found out that none of the team were really betting on finding the lion, or at least, collecting it before sundown, but that’s where ignorance and ambition from a newbie comes in. With a very full stomach we proceeded with the previous plan of finding the last block the lion had entered and failed to exit. One more perimeter search yielded no tracks along the road – BINGO! We quickly dismounted from the vehicle and the track was on.
I wanted to avoid any potential danger or damage to my equipment, so I did not maintain a nocked arrow, but I did have one readily available in my left hand for a quick load and launch if need be. (Who hasn’t dreamed of stopping a charging lion with a bow?) The tracks took us through about every type of cover imaginable, from open grassland, to the bushveld, to really dense trees with minimal ground cover. Finally the tracks began to sway back and forth as the lion looked for a place to bed down for the day. All of us displayed that our senses were peaked as every sound from the bush brought our ears and eyes in that direction. Ahead we spotted a dense group of trees that produced a dark shadow on the ground beneath with an open understory – we were sure he would be in there. Quietly we moved in, inching forward and not only listening and watching, but smelling. I had yet to smell a lion, but I was sure that I would be able to place a new pungent odor if directed at me. I moved in behind the lead PH so that I wouldn’t be shooting past the group and gave him enough room that I could keep an arrow nocked at all times. We continually squatted down to the ground in an attempt to put our eyes as low as possible and hopefully catch that bit of yellow hidden beyond branches. Half way in we caught his scent. He was there or, at least, had been there very recently. Looking into the wind revealed nothing. We could see out the other side. Had we bumped him before we ever started in? We then found his bed, a very large impression in the sand and a few places where his tail had swished behind him and a litter of tracks. The tracks leading from the bed were close together and not dug into the sand – Yes, we hadn’t spooked him. Beyond the dense group of trees was very open with only occasional cover. Surely he was to be where we could see him. – Yet again, we were wrong.
The tracks continued through grass at a leisurely pace when suddenly one of the trackers spotted a lion. It was our boy, hidden only slightly in the shadows of a very small group of trees. It was the lion we wanted and he had already spotted us. He was holding his ground, for now, and as we were already less than 100 yards, I only needed to close to 50 to make a shot. I wanted to be much closer due to the possible gravity of the post-shot situation, but I was prepared if need be. With the backup guns ready, we cautiously moved forward, keeping the ever-shrinking cover between us and the lion.
It is amazing how several hundred pounds of claws and teeth can heighten your blood pressure. With every step he seemed to grow larger and larger. As I closed to nearly my desired distance, the lion had tripled in size, this was going to be the biggest cat ever taken with a bow (now we know how fishing stories go…………….) All jokes aside though, I was very amazed at how large this particular cat was. Beyond zoos and other enclosures, I hadn’t seen a lion before, but felt that I still had a very good understanding of their size, mechanics, etc. While this guy may not have been the Bon Jovi of the lion kingdom, he had a very good mane, but a way more impressive body.
Quickly the lion moved around to the other side of the trees and we changed directions slightly to our left. If he would pause I could now get a shot. I checked my range finder and he was at 56 yards, a bit further than what I wanted and I opted to advance hoping that he would hold tight. After two more steps, it proved to be the wrong decision. If there is anyone out there that doesn’t think a large lion can speed race, they clearly haven’t been to Africa and bumped one from only 50 yards away.
We quickly took up the tracks and it was amazing to see the distance between the prints. After a ways, the tracks began to show evidence of him slowing down and we again were looking for the cat. Eventually the cat was walking again and we repeated the previous tracking efforts.
The next time we busted him, we never saw him. He had only stopped momentarily to check his followers and was off again. I can’t speak as to how far we followed him, but I really felt that the game was over for the day. The evening was quickly ticking by and he clearly knew we were in pursuit, but we pushed on. Much later I spotted him in the distance moving from right to left. We were probably 125 yards behind him and he paused briefly to check behind him and continued on at a generous walk. Several more minutes of pursuit provided no more sightings, but the tracks revealed he had kept a constant pace.
We soon spotted him again, but this time we were much closer, only about 80 yards and we had quite a bit of brush between us. The PH and I took advantage of the lion moving through the brush angling away from us and rushed to work into position. This would put us only about 40 yards from where he would re-enter an opening. I came to full draw while still in motion and came around the brush.
The massive head and mane began to appear in the opening, but he was turned much too sharply to shoot. This would have been the perfect opportunity, but not as lady luck would have it. (She can be a real witch sometimes……….) To add further disappointment, the lion must have caught us in his peripheral vision and paused momentarily to look back and then bolted again.
What happened next might would seem crazy to many Americans, or those whom are ignorant with animal biology and behavior, especially with lions. Most would have backed out and left him for another day, or perhaps continued slowly in hopes of sneaking up on him again; we tore out full speed after him. You may hear it said that you hunt elephant with your feet, well I can affirm that you hunt lion with your feet too. And your legs, and your lungs, and your heart. By staying on his trail we would force him to maintain speed until his panting became too great, his temperature too high and his annoyance too great and he would have to stand.
I am a former long-distance runner, but you might could say I have been retired for quite some time. My job doesn’t permit me to stay in shape with the hours and responsibilities that I have, so while I am in decent shape, my cardio leaves something to be desired. Luckily my most adequate attribute (as my wife will confirm) is my extreme stubbornness. We ran for quite some time and I distinctly remember being winded, but was we pushed on I found my “second wind” and the hot pursuit continued.
We finally caught up to the lion as he slowed briefly and I again came to full draw. I was inside 30 yards this time, but the only shot was directly from the rear and I was not about to make that my initial shot. We then began the run again and this time it was much shorter. I continued to watch the brief glimpses of the lion in front of me and try to predict his movement so that I could be in position. Suddenly I noticed him make a left turn and I quickly read the brush in front of me. Altering my route to the right with the PH to the left, I found an opening that old Simba was about to move into. I came to full draw while still in the process of moving and as I stopped the PH’s guns went up. The lion not only came into the opening, but stopped. It is at times like these that I am so thankful for the amount of time I’ve spent on the archery range and field judging targets, animals, and anything else in preparation. Mentally I felt it was around 32/33 yards, so I centered my 30 yard pin on him and let it fly!
I can still vividly see the flight of the arrow; the spin from the helical vanes as it flew toward him. The impact was perfect, slightly behind the shoulder and straight through the heart. A horrendous growl filled the air as he did a complete 180 and took off. I quickly knocked another arrow and stood there in disbelief. I had finally arrowed my most wanted animal of my life and although I had yet to lay hands on him, it was still a euphoric moment.
We waited a few minutes, but to prevent the onset of darkness we followed up a bit quicker than we originally would have decided. Within 100 yards, I spotted him in a group of trees. The evidence of a proper hit was all down his left side, but to prevent any possible harm to myself or anyone on the team, I paid him some insurance with the .375. Some may not believe in that, but I had made a fatal shot with the bow and if it prevents someone from getting hurt or worse, then you had better pay the insurance.
I will have to say, this group of guys was absolutely awesome and all seemed impressed with the size of the lion. What a first day to a safari: A Monster Kudu, the Great Grand Daddy of Sable, and a Lion that I’m pretty sure could have eaten a buffalo whole! (I did sneak one picture in from the following week after the skull was cleaned, but more on that later)
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It's a fantastic hunting story so far
