gillettehunter
AH ambassador
So off we go bouncing around the the sorta 2 track. Some places take more imagination to call it a trail than in others. Zidane tells me we are approaching the area where they have seen a huge Kudu bull. I tell him I love hunting Kudu. He then asks me why I’m not hunting one this trip. I’m forced to explain my financial limitations. With the license upgrade and trophy fee I just can’t afford it. He says how about if we hunt one for trophy fee only. You’re already here so let’s do it. I think for a moment and say OK. We don’t go 300 yds down the 2 track and someone sees something in the bush. Out we climb very quietly from the truck. I chamber a round as quietly as possible. We then sneak quietly into the bush. About 50 yds in I see a Kudu bull! He spooks as I get Zidane’s attention. Then a couple of Kudu cows spook. They bark and bound out of the area. We wait for 10 minutes to let things settle down.
We go back into stalking mode. 50 yds later Zidane and I see the bull as he sees us. He barks and is gone in a single jump. Quite the encounter. We walk back to the truck and load up. Zidane has the driver turn the truck around and go back to the base of a hill.
This hill overlooks a draw and a flat to the side of it. In my mind I call it Kudu valley. At the second rest spot climbing up the hill I spot a Kudu bull in the bush. Then Peter finds one and I spot another. A plethora of Kudu bulls here. Zidane looks things over. I suspect he doesn’t want to burn this place and alert the Kudu that we’re stalking them. He says let’s head to the truck and come back this evening.
We climb back down the hill to the truck and load up. We go down the road perhaps 200 yds and they stop the truck. All of the others are looking at something in the bush. A Kudu cow? I look up the road and there 150 yds out is a Kudu bull. Right in the middle of the 2 track........ I touch Zidane and point. We put our binoculars to our eyes and I immediately realize it’s him.... the big bull Zidane and Quintin had seen. He’s well over 30 inches. Just an incredible animal.
He walks into the bush and we immediately clamber down off the truck and walk up the 2 track hoping he’s stopped where we can get a shot. We spot a Kudu and I get on the sticks. It’s a cow. Can’t see a bull. As I’m on the sticks I notice 3 zebras walking up the road toward us. Then a cow crosses the road. Zidane says the bull will follow. Another cow and then a bull! Just not the big one. A young one of perhaps 24 inches... Then another cow. The zebra spook and no more Kudu. Zidane has his tracker go into to the bush to try and spook the bull across the road. No luck.......
As a hunter there are animals that haunt you. If you hunt long enough it will happen. I remember the 2 largest mule deer I’ve seen in the wild and never got. There is also a bull elk I missed..... Now there is another. That Kudu bull will haunt my dreams for years to come. Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing. We all need something to aspire to obtain. This is one of those. One of those moments I’ll always remember.
We got back in the truck and made a token drive through the bush hoping to find him. No luck. Back to camp for lunch. That afternoon we head back to the hill to look out over Kudu valley.
We hike up the hill to where we have a good look at the bush around it. Zidane tells me it took his last hunter 6 days to connect on a bull....... Below us we see 7 eland cows come out. Then the Kudu start feeding out. There is a group of 3 bulls out 1/2 mile or so. We bail off the hill to see if we can intercept them
Zidane has a 2 way radio to converse with Peter who stays on the hill. We get into the bush and spot a young bull. We get by him without spooking him. Zidane feels we are close. Radio doesn’t work so he tries the cell. After 5 minutes we take a couple steps and are busted by a large Kudu bull. No shot opportunity. Just a big bodied animal. Zidane is really bummed out. So near yet so far. Back to the truck and back to camp we go.
This is a great day. We’ve seen an incredible number of lesser Kudu. Even without a shot opportunity we have seen some beautiful country and animals. It’s a day I’ll dream about forever........
We go back into stalking mode. 50 yds later Zidane and I see the bull as he sees us. He barks and is gone in a single jump. Quite the encounter. We walk back to the truck and load up. Zidane has the driver turn the truck around and go back to the base of a hill.
This hill overlooks a draw and a flat to the side of it. In my mind I call it Kudu valley. At the second rest spot climbing up the hill I spot a Kudu bull in the bush. Then Peter finds one and I spot another. A plethora of Kudu bulls here. Zidane looks things over. I suspect he doesn’t want to burn this place and alert the Kudu that we’re stalking them. He says let’s head to the truck and come back this evening.
We climb back down the hill to the truck and load up. We go down the road perhaps 200 yds and they stop the truck. All of the others are looking at something in the bush. A Kudu cow? I look up the road and there 150 yds out is a Kudu bull. Right in the middle of the 2 track........ I touch Zidane and point. We put our binoculars to our eyes and I immediately realize it’s him.... the big bull Zidane and Quintin had seen. He’s well over 30 inches. Just an incredible animal.
He walks into the bush and we immediately clamber down off the truck and walk up the 2 track hoping he’s stopped where we can get a shot. We spot a Kudu and I get on the sticks. It’s a cow. Can’t see a bull. As I’m on the sticks I notice 3 zebras walking up the road toward us. Then a cow crosses the road. Zidane says the bull will follow. Another cow and then a bull! Just not the big one. A young one of perhaps 24 inches... Then another cow. The zebra spook and no more Kudu. Zidane has his tracker go into to the bush to try and spook the bull across the road. No luck.......
As a hunter there are animals that haunt you. If you hunt long enough it will happen. I remember the 2 largest mule deer I’ve seen in the wild and never got. There is also a bull elk I missed..... Now there is another. That Kudu bull will haunt my dreams for years to come. Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing. We all need something to aspire to obtain. This is one of those. One of those moments I’ll always remember.
We got back in the truck and made a token drive through the bush hoping to find him. No luck. Back to camp for lunch. That afternoon we head back to the hill to look out over Kudu valley.
We hike up the hill to where we have a good look at the bush around it. Zidane tells me it took his last hunter 6 days to connect on a bull....... Below us we see 7 eland cows come out. Then the Kudu start feeding out. There is a group of 3 bulls out 1/2 mile or so. We bail off the hill to see if we can intercept them
Zidane has a 2 way radio to converse with Peter who stays on the hill. We get into the bush and spot a young bull. We get by him without spooking him. Zidane feels we are close. Radio doesn’t work so he tries the cell. After 5 minutes we take a couple steps and are busted by a large Kudu bull. No shot opportunity. Just a big bodied animal. Zidane is really bummed out. So near yet so far. Back to the truck and back to camp we go.
This is a great day. We’ve seen an incredible number of lesser Kudu. Even without a shot opportunity we have seen some beautiful country and animals. It’s a day I’ll dream about forever........
