My son and I went on our first safari in 2005. He was 17 at the time and after seeing some eland they moved to top priority on his list. We started out hunting the Limpopo region and saw many Herds/Bulls but no good to great ones. We then moved to the Free State and saw many Bulls but none that we were looking for. The second to the last day of our hunt after looking at many Bulls/properties our PH set us up with a land owner that he described as somewhat cranky with excellent terrain, difficult walking, and great eland. We left the lodge we were staying at 4:00am and drove 2 hours if memory serves. We arrived at the gate to the property at just past daybreak and went hunting. We would drive to a mountain and climb up a chute and glass. We saw three bulls that morning and the third bull was very nice even to my uninformed eyes. The land owner and our PH talked it over and the result was that this is a good bull but the owner thought we could do better. We reluctantly gambled on passing this mature bull which stood at about 100 yards (My son looked worried). The plan was to pick up some other guys and drive to the top of the mountain kick them out at the top of a blind canyon and race back down and around the mountain to the side the owner thought they might exit from. So out goes the chasers down the mountain past the Rhino's we go around the mountain jump out and start the climb. We race up the mountain on foot and when the saddle comes in view here come the eland cows. We plop down set the bipod shooting sticks to seating height get me son set up and wait. Very quickly here comes the Bull. One quick glance and all we here from the PH is çš„f you have a shot take him? Boom goes the 338 Ultra mag and an excellent Left shoulder shot breaks his near leg, He grunts turns to go back into the blind canyon. Boom goes the second shot and he now has two broken shoulders and is down. The range was 200 yards. As we walk up to him he rolls over and gives up the ghost. As my son and I are not really about horn length I do not know what he measured but he was exactly the animal and hunt we were looking for. After the picture were taken and we are feeling good about ourselves to put it mildly the work began! It was about 5:00 pm and daylight was not long for the sky. On top of the hill was me, my son, the PH, and the land owner. We had no flashlights and two leatherman. The owner heads down the mountain for help. My son heads with him to the truck for flashlights and a skinning knife. The Ph and I stay on the mountain to start the cleaning process. The PH looks at me and says I can do this but it has been a long time as I usually have a skinner/tracker with me. My response is that these seems like the mountains of Idaho with an elk down and good lord but I wish my pack mules where here. So to make a very long winded story somewhat shorter. I Gutted, quartered, caped a eland bull on top of a South African mountain with two leatherman. The owner returned with some people and poles and we packed it down the mountain just like in the old safari pictures. We reached the truck at 10:00 pm and I have to say that carrying the eland skull and cape off that mountain was about all my son and I had in us (in other words we had to stop and rest some). It is experiences like this that make me hunt. Every time I look at the trophy I can relive it time and time again. For me it is about the stalk and the adventure not the length of the horns.
Ps I hope you enjoyed this and sorry to bore everyone.
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