My warthog with a spear-finally!
Hi GUYS,
I'm back after a -for me anyway -very successful hunting trip to South Africa, and I just want to share this primitive hunting story and thoughts with you all.....
Those of you who know me here will remember that it were always a hunting dream [ideal] of mine to hunt a warthog armed only with my cs boar spear [well, and my hunting knife...]--just to proof to myself that it could be done solo by an average guy using a lot of dedication, determination, patience and, and....
[But also to show all my rifle- and bow hunting buddies back home who for years just smiled and shook their heads behind my back, what real ethical and responsible hunting is actually all about......!] --and also to show youngster how it is done [see a previous post]
Having before dispatched many a wounded critter with this spear [mostly baboons and warthogs--stories elsewhere], I just felt that this year---IT'S TIME!
After a full 6- years of trying [and many frustratingly close stalks, but just not close enough for my spear] I finally realized my spear hunting dream, when after 7- hours of walking and stalking, spanning two days, in the deep Bushveld of the Limpopo near Botswana, I finally got my reward-a 'trophy' warthog without the help or assistance of any trackers, dogs, binoculars, range finder, blind, gadgets etc., etc.
-- Just me, my spear, the Bushveld and that Warthog!
Boy oh Boy-what an exhilarating experience it was to finally got it right!
Talk about ethical hunting with true epic proportions! [Well, for me at least---lol!]
At the time I did not even took notice if the tusks as I was fully preoccupied by focusing and concentrating on its ears and tail for any indication that it became aware of me as I carefully finally stalk to within an adequate throwing distance for me....!
Eventually I managed to stalk this particularly warthog to within 7 meters, and after a nervous and soft deep breath to steady myself, I let fly with this big and heavy spear.....
The razor sharp spear blade entered the warthog a bit low on the right side just behind the 'elbow' and like a hot knife through butter it completely penetrated the hog, only to be stopped by the 2 'wings' where the blade join the handle, in the process severing 2 ribs on entry and 4 ribs on exit at the far side!
It also destroyed-amongst other things-, the bottom of the heart, the liver and one lung, also causing who knows what massive other internal damage.
When the warthog immediately ran away with the spear still sticking out of its side, the handle dragged on the ground at an angle allowing the big 18.5 sharp blade to do some more serious damage as it cut-up everything in its way internally until it finally dropped out after about 10 m.
On this photo you can see where it stumbled after about 20 m when a part of its cut up liver even fell completely out of the entry wound!
It do say something about the toughness and will to survive of a warthog, that even after such a massive traumatic and deadly wound, it still managed a death run of about 100 m until it just fell dead in its tracks!
Here is a photo of the entry wound on the right hand side .
Here is a close-up of the exit wound on the far side
Hi GUYS,
I'm back after a -for me anyway -very successful hunting trip to South Africa, and I just want to share this primitive hunting story and thoughts with you all.....
Those of you who know me here will remember that it were always a hunting dream [ideal] of mine to hunt a warthog armed only with my cs boar spear [well, and my hunting knife...]--just to proof to myself that it could be done solo by an average guy using a lot of dedication, determination, patience and, and....
[But also to show all my rifle- and bow hunting buddies back home who for years just smiled and shook their heads behind my back, what real ethical and responsible hunting is actually all about......!] --and also to show youngster how it is done [see a previous post]
Having before dispatched many a wounded critter with this spear [mostly baboons and warthogs--stories elsewhere], I just felt that this year---IT'S TIME!
After a full 6- years of trying [and many frustratingly close stalks, but just not close enough for my spear] I finally realized my spear hunting dream, when after 7- hours of walking and stalking, spanning two days, in the deep Bushveld of the Limpopo near Botswana, I finally got my reward-a 'trophy' warthog without the help or assistance of any trackers, dogs, binoculars, range finder, blind, gadgets etc., etc.
-- Just me, my spear, the Bushveld and that Warthog!
Boy oh Boy-what an exhilarating experience it was to finally got it right!
Talk about ethical hunting with true epic proportions! [Well, for me at least---lol!]
At the time I did not even took notice if the tusks as I was fully preoccupied by focusing and concentrating on its ears and tail for any indication that it became aware of me as I carefully finally stalk to within an adequate throwing distance for me....!
Eventually I managed to stalk this particularly warthog to within 7 meters, and after a nervous and soft deep breath to steady myself, I let fly with this big and heavy spear.....
The razor sharp spear blade entered the warthog a bit low on the right side just behind the 'elbow' and like a hot knife through butter it completely penetrated the hog, only to be stopped by the 2 'wings' where the blade join the handle, in the process severing 2 ribs on entry and 4 ribs on exit at the far side!
It also destroyed-amongst other things-, the bottom of the heart, the liver and one lung, also causing who knows what massive other internal damage.
When the warthog immediately ran away with the spear still sticking out of its side, the handle dragged on the ground at an angle allowing the big 18.5 sharp blade to do some more serious damage as it cut-up everything in its way internally until it finally dropped out after about 10 m.
On this photo you can see where it stumbled after about 20 m when a part of its cut up liver even fell completely out of the entry wound!
It do say something about the toughness and will to survive of a warthog, that even after such a massive traumatic and deadly wound, it still managed a death run of about 100 m until it just fell dead in its tracks!
Here is a photo of the entry wound on the right hand side .
Here is a close-up of the exit wound on the far side
. nasty!
Well, back home that evening the astonished owner immediately contacted his neighboring hunting contacts far and wide with the news , but none of them wanted to believe him until he send them some photos of this 'trophy' warthog hunted only with a spear.
It is the first recorded hunt in a 100 km radius of game ranches in this far Northern Limpopo area where anyone came solely to hunt a warthog only with a spear, and then actually also achieving it!
After [for me] the trophy 11 & 12 inch tusks respectively of this mature boar [male] warthog were removed, I took this picture just for comparison with my 7 inch hunting knife.
Maybe spear hunting will eventually become a recognized ethical hunting discipline [one on one, without help, gadgets, blinds or dogs etc.] when this story and others became known? It is definitely not for every-one, and I fully agree that chancers/ego chasers and irresponsible 'hunters' best be discouraged.
It definitely requires a whole different mindset and hunting skills. This type of hunt is most of all about the thrill of the hunt and to again become 'one' with nature in a certain primitive way, and not primarily about the trophy or the meat etc.
Its the hunt and not the kill that matters here most of all.
I fully expect someone to object or will want to make a case about true responsible spear hunting as being unethical, and I say you are entitled to your opinion. I alone know about the years of frustration and preparation and total new set of hunting and stalking skills as an old and experienced rifle, handgun and bow- hunter I had to master first before I could finally achieve this 'back to basics' spear hunt in a truly ethical and responsible way.
Remember way back when everybody frowned upon-- and then even said that it was unethical and impossible-to hunt with a hand gun, then later with a bow and arrow, and nowadays even with a Co2 wind [pellet] gun?
Just see where these hunting disciplines are now!
Lets wait and see....
In the meantime, I still get goose bumps, re-living my long awaited dream hunt come true!
Well, back home that evening the astonished owner immediately contacted his neighboring hunting contacts far and wide with the news , but none of them wanted to believe him until he send them some photos of this 'trophy' warthog hunted only with a spear.
It is the first recorded hunt in a 100 km radius of game ranches in this far Northern Limpopo area where anyone came solely to hunt a warthog only with a spear, and then actually also achieving it!
After [for me] the trophy 11 & 12 inch tusks respectively of this mature boar [male] warthog were removed, I took this picture just for comparison with my 7 inch hunting knife.
Maybe spear hunting will eventually become a recognized ethical hunting discipline [one on one, without help, gadgets, blinds or dogs etc.] when this story and others became known? It is definitely not for every-one, and I fully agree that chancers/ego chasers and irresponsible 'hunters' best be discouraged.
It definitely requires a whole different mindset and hunting skills. This type of hunt is most of all about the thrill of the hunt and to again become 'one' with nature in a certain primitive way, and not primarily about the trophy or the meat etc.
Its the hunt and not the kill that matters here most of all.
I fully expect someone to object or will want to make a case about true responsible spear hunting as being unethical, and I say you are entitled to your opinion. I alone know about the years of frustration and preparation and total new set of hunting and stalking skills as an old and experienced rifle, handgun and bow- hunter I had to master first before I could finally achieve this 'back to basics' spear hunt in a truly ethical and responsible way.
Remember way back when everybody frowned upon-- and then even said that it was unethical and impossible-to hunt with a hand gun, then later with a bow and arrow, and nowadays even with a Co2 wind [pellet] gun?
Just see where these hunting disciplines are now!
Lets wait and see....
In the meantime, I still get goose bumps, re-living my long awaited dream hunt come true!
