What makes hunting Eland special?

[MBaneACP]

Maybe one of the meaningful hunts of my life. I screwed up my first shot (grazed his leg as he turned) at the end of shooting light. We tracked him by flashlight until I couldn't stand up, got a couple of hours sleep and started again before dawn. We spent a long long day tracking him (Bushman trackers) in the Kalahari heat.

I knew the wound wasn't fatal, or even serious, but that didn't make any difference to me -- I pulled the trigger; on me to finish it. The bull was old and smart and canny, but the Bushman are nothing short of amazing.

Hard to explain...that hunt turned me from a guy who hunts into a hunter...sounds like bulls#%t, but still true. The old bull's horns hang in a place of honor in my home.

Michael B

 

[Deleted member 43267]

They are the hardest plains animal to hunt, and the most commonly missing species at the end of a multi-species safari.
They are so wary that they make white-tail bucks look like drunken college freshman staggering home from a Friday night keg party.
And if you do get into position, they are still tough to bring down.

Jeff