ZIMBABWE: Matetsi 2, Zimbabwe With Classic African Hunting

[SkullKeeper]

@SkullKeeper I always thought the best thing we could do for Stu after the shooting was to book a hunt with him. My hats off to you for doing it!

I can honestly say that I would not hesitate to hunt with Stu again - he is DAMN GOOD at what he does.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Looks like you’ve had a great hunt thus far

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 4

Stu had told me several days ago about there being 2 big herds of buffalo in the area 2 to 3 weeks before I arrived. He was hoping they would filter back through at some point and we would continue to check water points. We left at first light to drive to a solar power pumped water hole that we had checked for several days with no buff activity. As soon as we got out of the vehicle we were standing on buff tracks. Now I was excited - We walked to the water to determine which way they went. As Stu and the trackers were studying the other side of the water hole Billion and I were walking the other side. At once I whipped around and said to Billion “I heard buffalo!”. Billion had heard it too and his eyes got big as he pointed back towards the truck. Stu was walking to us and we told him what we had just heard asking if he heard it as well. He said he did hear it but it was a frog in the upper part of the water. Billion and I both shook our heads “no way” and then Gift pointed across the road also. We all heard the sound again and everyone headed for the Hi-Lux. We walked up the road a ways and sure enough the buffs tracks went right across into thick zebra brush. These buff weren’t 150 yards away! The wind was obviously in our favor and we hurried to keep it as such. I’d never had to deal with zebra brush before but I could tell it was a place for the scoped 404J. A short 15 minutes later Gift dropped down and pointed. There is no cover in Zebra brush but so dense it’s hard to see anything in it. And I still didn’t see what Gift saw ! Stu took the sticks and the lead and we practically duck walked for 25 more yards. The sticks went up as I heard him whisper to me “get ready”. We had a big termite mound to deal with and it seemed like most of the Buffalo were just behind it. Stu pointed out one good bull that was about 45-50 yards away and asked if I liked the way he looked. I could practically see only his head. And yes he looked good to me. Stu told me there was another buffalo laying down just in front of the target bull- I couldn’t tell that in this zebra brush. I slowly looked back at Stu and said “I can shoot him in the head.” Stu kept saying to wait for the bull to clear and I kept saying I can shoot him in the head. I saw a cow take notice of me and Stu and soon she spooked. Having not smelled us all the buffalo ran only about 50 yards back behind the termite mount. Stu eased up and peaked over the top of the mound. They were all bunched up now. We waited on them to settle and move on so we could make our next attempt. Thirty minutes went by and the buff slowly made their mind up. We had to back away quickly and get around the front of them to keep the wind in our favor. We advanced several hundred yards before finding another ambush point. As if on cue, that same bull split off from the group following 2 others to our right. Stu quickly put the sticks up and the bull caught our movement and stopped perfectly in a small opening. I could see his chest in the scope but there was a large branch only 3 feet from the muzzle. I “whisper yelled” for Stu’s help in lowering the sticks. He didn’t understand what I meant and moved them sideways- which was no help in missing that branch. Having seen enough the bull spun off to rejoin the rest of his group. I couldn’t believe this second chance had evaporated!! Arghhh !! The group still wasn’t spooked and again we had to let all of them walk by before we could move. Once more we made a fast end-around run and put ourselves in their direct path. This time we found a small termite mound to help break up our outlines. We could see the herd split about 75 yards out and as they got closer we were having to watch at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock for our target bull. I’d never have bet a nickel on this happening but sure enough the bull was one of the 2 o’clockers and stopped quartering to us in a narrow lane. I was on my rear end with my elbows on my knees. Stu shoved the folded sticks under my left hand for better support and I found the bulls chest, putting the crosshairs just inside his right shoulder on the sternum. At the crack of the rifle I could see his hesitation before he whirled away, head down. All the buffalo crashed off and we listened to their direction. About 45 seconds went by then heard him bellowing. The team smiled and laughed with great joy while they grabbed my hands in congratulations. Stu and I shook hands and hugged each other in elation- it had been an intense morning with hard earned success! The walk up was uneventful as the bull was finished. The 400 grain North Fork had punched right through the aortic arch. After the traditional 2 insurance shots (because I had bullets!) we cheered again and started taking pictures. It was now only 8:30 AM.

 

[Gerry Addison]

Great Bull, congratulations on a fun hunt.

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 4 (Continued)

The bull had gone down only 18 yards from where he was standing. Had we known it would take 3 hours to get the truck to him we may have chased him towards the road before I started shooting. Zebra brush is no joke! Davey drove back to camp to get the “casuals” to help with cutting a way in for the recovery. Pangas and tongas started flailing everywhere. The shot was at 8:30 ... we started loading the bull at 11:30. But it did give lots of time for pictures. One thing I forgot to mention during the hunt- while moving from our 2nd to 3rd ambush point Gift spotted a nice warthog only 50 yards away. Stu politely asked if I wanted to shoot it (I liked the fact he gave me the option) and of course I turned it down. This hunt was truly different- because of the dense Zebra brush we were forced to get ahead of the herd and anticipate their travel route, letting them walk into us. It kind of reminded me of turkey hunting but without the calling. There’s more than ample nervous anticipation when buffalo are coming your way and you have to find your target animal before you get winded or picked off, especially with low visibility.
I find it amazing that you can put a 1800 pound animal plus 9 men in this truck and it doesn’t even start to squat. Hi Lux’s aren’t that big, and they drive like a go cart through the brush too. I know Stu had the suspension beefed up but even riding in it with no load it still doesn’t beat you to death when you him a bump.
As we pulled into the “skinning shed” Andrew started smiling. The men offloaded “extra rider” and Stu and I headed up the hill to the main camp. After lunch I headed back down to the skinning operation and Andrew promptly handed me the bullet ( he knows me by now). I examined the vitals as always, noting the bullet path. It’s still a learning experience for me even though I’ve autopsied hundreds of various birds and mammals taken with rifle, shotgun, and bow.
The afternoon hunt brought many sightings but no bushbuck or kudu of note. We did see a giant Reedbuck and of course he stood there like the Statue of Liberty since he wasn’t on license. Back at camp another shot of Port was waiting and braised ox tail for dinner ! What a great day it had been !

 

[wvfred]

Congratulations skullkeeper on a great hunt and it isn't near finished!

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 5

Backing up to the previous day - I forgot to mention that we hung up the first buffalo’s rib cage for a hyena bait. We put it where we saw the hyena on day 1. Stu picked out a shooting position on a hill about 100 yards away at a fallen tree where no blind was needed. We wanted to check it for action on this morning so that’s where we headed first thing. In route to the bait we saw a really good impala ram and I really wanted to try for him. Grabbing the 404 I rolled out of the truck and we followed the path of the 20+ impala herd up a small hill. When we crested the top they were getting into a thin tree line about 150 yards away. The ram had stopped to look back and I got on the sticks. I had him in the crosshairs but there were 2 females standing directly behind him - no shot. Before the females got clear the ram moved off with them. Creating more distance they kept moving, jostling back and forth. Eventually we knew any further pursuit was futile. I got close to pulling the trigger but not meant to be right then. We loaded up and only drove about 10 minutes when a group of 9 kudu bulls crossed the road 200 yards ahead of us. These were the first really good kudu we had seen since I started the safari. There were several in that bunch that looked good to me and we ditched truck and ran after them. We spotted them shortly after and they were rolling on quickly, not stopping at all. Stu told me they were going to keep running ... that’s when I told him “I can walk !” We were about 500 yards in before we made visual contact again - they were stopped about another 400 yards away. We hardly made 50 yards on them and they took off again. Jeez ! These kudu acted like we were shooting at them the whole time ! Gift took the lead now as we had a slight depression to our right that looked like it went in the general direction we needed to go. Winding our way towards a small “mountain” Gift would catch a glimpse of the kudu every now and then- our course’s were coming together and our pace quickened. Suddenly Gift pointed and hurriedly motioned Stu and I forward. I could see curly horns appearing overtop of the tall grass as we ascended from the depression. The sticks went up as the kudu loped away from us. I was ready when the 2 bulls at the rear of the line stopped and looked back. Stu told me the second from last was the best of the bunch but he was mostly covered up by the last bull. Stu said quickly shoot either one - they were both good. I lined up on the kudu at the end as fast as I could - he was quartering away at 150 yards. Soon as my crosshairs hit low and tight behind the shoulder the gun went off. The bull flinched and all of them bolted down into another depression. We ran forward trying to keep all of them in sight. No more than 45 seconds later we started seeing the bulls head up the mountain slope 300 yards away - we counted and there were still 9 ! WHAT?!!!? None of them looked any worse for wear. My spirits sank immediately- I had flat out missed. The kudu went halfway up the hill and all stood and looked around. I was ready to bite nails. Gift and Billion searched for a hit but nothing. That was a very long and quiet walk back to the hunting car. I had to have shot under him.... but I did not understand how. We drove on. Stu said let’s go check for the bushbuck. Along the way we passed a group of 18-19 sable bulls. A beautiful sight. Some decent ones in the bunch as well. The first bushbuck we looked for was not at home although we did see a smaller ram bedded under a tree- and of course he didn’t move the entire time we went by him at 70 yards ! Ha ! Stu wanted to check for the other bushbuck since it was plenty of time to do so before the afternoon break for lunch. We passed the largest single group of ele’s I’d seen on the trip... about 30 of them ...and it’s hard NOT to see 30 elephants in one spot. Giraffes were on the move as well. We checked for the second bushbuck - he must’ve been at the same party as the first one, He was not at home either. We headed towards camp for lunch... and to check the rifle.

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 5 (continued)

Did I tell you Lovemore was trying to fatten me up ?? He still was, and doing a great job of it. After lunch and a nap, I asked Stu to drop by the range so I could check the rifle. Shooting at the 100 meter target it turned out to be 3 inches low. Maybe that was me as I can’t see how anything could’ve changed. Right away we saw 2 decent kudu cross the road a ways ahead of us. We parked and headed their direction of travel. We tracked them almost a mile and never even caught a glimpse of them ! What we did hear along the way, only 200 yards from us, was a leopard grunting ! I’d never heard one - a real treat for me. Game was moving big time this day. We saw 19 waterbuck (11 bulls), a small group of zebra, a small bushbuck ram, a male grysbok, a bunch of elephant (in Secret Valley, and jumped 3 hyena there also- too far for a shot), some Reedbuck, and lots more giraffe. Even though I missed my kudu it had been a great day! Tons of game seen today.

 

[Sideshow]

Ohoo any more please

 

[rinehart0050]

Great report so far! Congrats on your success! Looking forward to more

 

[Rare Breed]

Day 4

Stu had told me several days ago about there being 2 big herds of buffalo in the area 2 to 3 weeks before I arrived. He was hoping they would filter back through at some point and we would continue to check water points. We left at first light to drive to a solar power pumped water hole that we had checked for several days with no buff activity. As soon as we got out of the vehicle we were standing on buff tracks. Now I was excited - We walked to the water to determine which way they went. As Stu and the trackers were studying the other side of the water hole Billion and I were walking the other side. At once I whipped around and said to Billion “I heard buffalo!”. Billion had heard it too and his eyes got big as he pointed back towards the truck. Stu was walking to us and we told him what we had just heard asking if he heard it as well. He said he did hear it but it was a frog in the upper part of the water. Billion and I both shook our heads “no way” and then Gift pointed across the road also. We all heard the sound again and everyone headed for the Hi-Lux. We walked up the road a ways and sure enough the buffs tracks went right across into thick zebra brush. These buff weren’t 150 yards away! The wind was obviously in our favor and we hurried to keep it as such. I’d never had to deal with zebra brush before but I could tell it was a place for the scoped 404J. A short 15 minutes later Gift dropped down and pointed. There is no cover in Zebra brush but so dense it’s hard to see anything in it. And I still didn’t see what Gift saw ! Stu took the sticks and the lead and we practically duck walked for 25 more yards. The sticks went up as I heard him whisper to me “get ready”. We had a big termite mound to deal with and it seemed like most of the Buffalo were just behind it. Stu pointed out one good bull that was about 45-50 yards away and asked if I liked the way he looked. I could practically see only his head. And yes he looked good to me. Stu told me there was another buffalo laying down just in front of the target bull- I couldn’t tell that in this zebra brush. I slowly looked back at Stu and said “I can shoot him in the head.” Stu kept saying to wait for the bull to clear and I kept saying I can shoot him in the head. I saw a cow take notice of me and Stu and soon she spooked. Having not smelled us all the buffalo ran only about 50 yards back behind the termite mount. Stu eased up and peaked over the top of the mound. They were all bunched up now. We waited on them to settle and move on so we could make our next attempt. Thirty minutes went by and the buff slowly made their mind up. We had to back away quickly and get around the front of them to keep the wind in our favor. We advanced several hundred yards before finding another ambush point. As if on cue, that same bull split off from the group following 2 others to our right. Stu quickly put the sticks up and the bull caught our movement and stopped perfectly in a small opening. I could see his chest in the scope but there was a large branch only 3 feet from the muzzle. I “whisper yelled” for Stu’s help in lowering the sticks. He didn’t understand what I meant and moved them sideways- which was no help in missing that branch. Having seen enough the bull spun off to rejoin the rest of his group. I couldn’t believe this second chance had evaporated!! Arghhh !! The group still wasn’t spooked and again we had to let all of them walk by before we could move. Once more we made a fast end-around run and put ourselves in their direct path. This time we found a small termite mound to help break up our outlines. We could see the herd split about 75 yards out and as they got closer we were having to watch at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock for our target bull. I’d never have bet a nickel on this happening but sure enough the bull was one of the 2 o’clockers and stopped quartering to us in a narrow lane. I was on my rear end with my elbows on my knees. Stu shoved the folded sticks under my left hand for better support and I found the bulls chest, putting the crosshairs just inside his right shoulder on the sternum. At the crack of the rifle I could see his hesitation before he whirled away, head down. All the buffalo crashed off and we listened to their direction. About 45 seconds went by then heard him bellowing. The team smiled and laughed with great joy while they grabbed my hands in congratulations. Stu and I shook hands and hugged each other in elation- it had been an intense morning with hard earned success! The walk up was uneventful as the bull was finished. The 400 grain North Fork had punched right through the aortic arch. After the traditional 2 insurance shots (because I had bullets!) we cheered again and started taking pictures. It was now only 8:30 AM.View attachment 556840View attachment 556830View attachment 556833View attachment 556836View attachment 556838View attachment 556834View attachment 556842

Great bull!!!

 

[DillonG]

Day 5 (continued)

Did I tell you Lovemore was trying to fatten me up ?? He still was, and doing a great job of it. After lunch and a nap, I asked Stu to drop by the range so I could check the rifle. Shooting at the 100 meter target it turned out to be 3 inches low. Maybe that was me as I can’t see how anything could’ve changed. Right away we saw 2 decent kudu cross the road a ways ahead of us. We parked and headed their direction of travel. We tracked them almost a mile and never even caught a glimpse of them ! What we did hear along the way, only 200 yards from us, was a leopard grunting ! I’d never heard one - a real treat for me. Game was moving big time this day. We saw 19 waterbuck (11 bulls), a small group of zebra, a small bushbuck ram, a male grysbok, a bunch of elephant (in Secret Valley, and jumped 3 hyena there also- too far for a shot), some Reedbuck, and lots more giraffe. Even though I missed my kudu it had been a great day! Tons of game seen today.

Thank you for your report so far! The level of detail and your storytelling is superb. Also, what kind of camera were you using? No way that is just a cell phone. Congrats on your report through the first part of your hunt.

Patiently waiting for more.

 

[JES Adventures]

Great Safari and great report! I love the Matetsi.

 

[SkullKeeper]

Thank you for your report so far! The level of detail and your storytelling is superb. Also, what kind of camera were you using? No way that is just a cell phone. Congrats on your report through the first part of your hunt.

Patiently waiting for more.

Thank you sir and yes it’s just a cell phone (older iPhone 11)

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 6

We didn’t get up terribly early, about usual time still before light. Stu was sitting at the fire pit with coffee and told me he saw a Bush baby in the tree touching the dining roof. I looked - yes it is ! He lives in a hole in the tree- I would squeak a little and he would pop his head up out like a Jack-in-the-box. The Bush baby soon retired for the day and we had our coffee. Then another treat - a beautiful little owl perched on a branch next to the patio/fire pit. The owl let me take pictures, even climbing up on the firewood box to get closer. He was only the size of a soup can. I’ve never seen an owl that small. The morning plan was to try the bushbuck early instead of late morning. Maybe the change in routine will catch him off guard, but first stop was to check the hyena bait. As Stu predicted lions had found it. The men pulled the bait so we could take it to Secret Valley and set it out at Stu’s proper hyena blind. Now on we went to check the bushbuck. We parked the hunting car leaving Davey, we took Gift along and tiptoed in. We walked right in on a smaller ram under a tree, I think he was stiff with fright since we had gotten the drop on him, as he never moved. We also surprised two grysbok that we could’ve easily shot as well. After a thorough sweep we determined our candidate wasn’t home. Getting back to the truck Davey told us the big bushbuck crossed the road coming back into the block we just left ! Stu told the men to ease in behind the bushbuck, we would go back across the bridge to the other side and take a stand along the waterway in hopes of him crossing. Ten minutes later the bushbuck indeed crossed 100 yards below us but too fast for a shot. Arghhh!...this bushbuck! I told Stu if I had a treestand in that block I could get him in a days time. We left trying not to pressure him too much into leaving the area. Driving on we saw some small kudu bulls, impala, Reedbuck, and zebra. Entering the road to Secret Valley the men spotted some fresh buff tracks and we stopped to check them. These buffalo had literally just walked through here. I jokingly asked Stu if he by chance had his own buff on license that I may be able to “borrow” ( because I still have bullets)! We loaded back up and driving barely 1/4 mile we spotted the buff- a small group of bulls headed into the big part of the valley where we were headed. There’s a high ridge that overlooks this large valley that we went to glass from and you can see forever there. By the time we got there and walked to the lookout point the bulls had made their way over and in. At distance we couldn’t really tell much about them. Making it to the very bottom they turned out direction and continued to graze and walk. They kept getting closer and closer until they walked right below us no more than 50-60 yards. There were two shooters in the 6 pack- the lead bull was a solid 41-42”, not much drop but great character to his bosses, very gnarled and deep ridged. The other not as wide, maybe 36-37” but very good drop and turn-back with solid bosses. Hopefully someone will get a shot at one of these old boys. Leaving them the men rehung the hyena bait and we walked up the hill to check out the blind and see how I wanted to situate myself.
We headed back for lunch and a nap. The rest of day brought a lot more game sightings but no shot opportunities. We saw sable, waterbuck, giraffe, and of all strange things we even saw elephant - ha ha.

 

[SkullKeeper]

Day 7

We got up for breakfast a bit earlier as we wanted to give the bushbuck a go early again. Sitting at the fire pit with coffee I couldn’t help but watch for the Bushbaby in the tree. Sure enough his curiosity was too much as he peeked out of the hole on and hole for 5 minutes. Stu had one of the staff make it a small tray and affix it to the tree filled with delicious snacks. We headed out and got to the bushbuck area just after light. Unfortunately no big bushbuck-we only found a small one, but we did see a magnificent spotted eagle owl! They are very big and impressive. On we went. Oddly enough we ran across 4 small groups of impala ewes and only 1 had a ram with them. He was a good ram and we followed that group until they ran completely out of sight. No clue as to why they were so spooky. Driving to check the hyena bait we saw a bunch of waterbuck and a group of 8-10 giraffes. When we reached the bait we could tell from a distance it had been hit hard. I was excited for the evening hunt there, hoping a good hyena would present a shot. Driving out of Secret Valley, Stu spotted a group of 4 nice kudu bulls running off in the thick brush several hundred yards away. Anxious for another chance at a kudu I wasn’t sure just who would be taking point on this march. Davey, Gift, and Stu ended up in front of me somehow and we hurried along briskly. I took a while to catch up to them and they were very aware they were being tailed. Finally one of the bulls stopped and offered a 175-200 yard try - but there was way too much “stuff” in the way to make my feel comfortable with taking a shot. We sidestepped to try and find an opening but the bull didn’t get that big for being dumb and took off. We eventually caught up to them again, this time they stopped under a tree- about 200 to 225 yards out. Stu put the sticks up and instructed me to look at the 2 on the right side of the tree, saying both were good but the one closest to the tree was better. I couldn’t make the 4.5 power setting on that Zeiss turn any farther than it was no matter how hard I wrenched on it. No sooner than I got that particular bull in the crosshairs he made 2 steps and stood directly in front of his buddy. NO SHOT - I had to wait ! A few seconds went by and suddenly all the other kudu moved off quickly except my target - my opportunity! I threw the safety forward and held roughly half a foot over the kudu’s shoulder hump and squeezed. NOTHING! WTH?! The three position safety had only made it to the second position when I flipped it forward... you have got to be kidding, and a first for me. Upon correcting
my “ “-up, the bull had already run off to join his buddies. I was soooo mad at myself. The pursuit continued for another 500 yards and by the time we saw them standing and looking back they were a good 300 yards on a hillside. In desperation mode I got on the sticks again, Stu let me know which one to try for and, holding a body above the bull I turned one loose. All the kudu bolted for Botswana unscathed. This had turned into a Kudu Kluster”bump”. Another very long walk back to the Hi-Lux, going back to camp for lunch was the best thing to do... but nooooo... in route Stu spies a threesome standing 150 yards from the road ... watching us closely. We drive past them 1/2 mile before slowing down. Stu plans a better strategy- this time we will walk deep and behind them, spot them as they come to us and take a position. Gift spots one of the bulls 150 yards away, Stu glasses quickly and calls him a shooter and the sticks go up once more. It’s a clear shot this time. I set the crosshairs 6 inches above his back and shoot. My brain is, unfortunately, still in holdover mode. Have you ever been in a situation where the harder you try the worse it gets ??? Well here we are...
The kudu reacted to the shot- it was a hit, but when a 400 grain projectile strikes any animal in the correct place there usually is a profound reaction.... I didn’t get one of those. Three kudu erupt from a thin line of brush. I’m yelling to Stu “which one is he !?”. Neither one of us can tell which bull it is as they run across a open burn towards a thick woodlot one hundred yards away. Needless to say I didn’t get a second shot opportunity. The bull bled very high on the brush and only for a total of maybe 20 drops (the equivalent of him running into a thorn bush) before we lost him....now my kudu hunting is over just like that. Can we please go back to camp now ??
I’m not even sure if I ate lunch but I do know one thing for sure- that kudu will not become a hyena or a lion meal, at least not tonight. The afternoon chance for a bushbuck wasn’t successful in any form or fashion so we made our way to sit in the hyena blind. I settled the rifle through the grass blind much like I envision sitting in a leopard blind. About 20 minutes before dark I see movement in the depression below the buff rib cage. Hyena ! It slips up slowly to the bait along with 2 others in tow. My heart sinks as they are youngsters. The evening brought no adults. It had been a good day, just not as good as it could’ve been. And thank goodness that was completely my fault.

 

[BushKid]

Day 7

We got up for breakfast a bit earlier as we wanted to give the bushbuck a go early again. Sitting at the fire pit with coffee I couldn’t help but watch for the Bushbaby in the tree. Sure enough his curiosity was too much as he peeked out of the hole on and hole for 5 minutes. Stu had one of the staff make it a small tray and affix it to the tree filled with delicious snacks. We headed out and got to the bushbuck area just after light. Unfortunately no big bushbuck-we only found a small one, but we did see a magnificent spotted eagle owl! They are very big and impressive. On we went. Oddly enough we ran across 4 small groups of impala ewes and only 1 had a ram with them. He was a good ram and we followed that group until they ran completely out of sight. No clue as to why they were so spooky. Driving to check the hyena bait we saw a bunch of waterbuck and a group of 8-10 giraffes. When we reached the bait we could tell from a distance it had been hit hard. I was excited for the evening hunt there, hoping a good hyena would present a shot. Driving out of Secret Valley, Stu spotted a group of 4 nice kudu bulls running off in the thick brush several hundred yards away. Anxious for another chance at a kudu I wasn’t sure just who would be taking point on this march. Davey, Gift, and Stu ended up in front of me somehow and we hurried along briskly. I took a while to catch up to them and they were very aware they were being tailed. Finally one of the bulls stopped and offered a 175-200 yard try - but there was way too much “stuff” in the way to make my feel comfortable with taking a shot. We sidestepped to try and find an opening but the bull didn’t get that big for being dumb and took off. We eventually caught up to them again, this time they stopped under a tree- about 200 to 225 yards out. Stu put the sticks up and instructed me to look at the 2 on the right side of the tree, saying both were good but the one closest to the tree was better. I couldn’t make the 4.5 power setting on that Zeiss turn any farther than it was no matter how hard I wrenched on it. No sooner than I got that particular bull in the crosshairs he made 2 steps and stood directly in front of his buddy. NO SHOT - I had to wait ! A few seconds went by and suddenly all the other kudu moved off quickly except my target - my opportunity! I threw the safety forward and held roughly half a foot over the kudu’s shoulder hump and squeezed. NOTHING! WTH?! The three position safety had only made it to the second position when I flipped it forward... you have got to be kidding, and a first for me. Upon correcting
my “ “-up, the bull had already run off to join his buddies. I was soooo mad at myself. The pursuit continued for another 500 yards and by the time we saw them standing and looking back they were a good 300 yards on a hillside. In desperation mode I got on the sticks again, Stu let me know which one to try for and, holding a body above the bull I turned one loose. All the kudu bolted for Botswana unscathed. This had turned into a Kudu Kluster”bump”. Another very long walk back to the Hi-Lux, going back to camp for lunch was the best thing to do... but nooooo... in route Stu spies a threesome standing 150 yards from the road ... watching us closely. We drive past them 1/2 mile before slowing down. Stu plans a better strategy- this time we will walk deep and behind them, spot them as they come to us and take a position. Gift spots one of the bulls 150 yards away, Stu glasses quickly and calls him a shooter and the sticks go up once more. It’s a clear shot this time. I set the crosshairs 6 inches above his back and shoot. My brain is, unfortunately, still in holdover mode. Have you ever been in a situation where the harder you try the worse it gets ??? Well here we are...
The kudu reacted to the shot- it was a hit, but when a 400 grain projectile strikes any animal in the correct place there usually is a profound reaction.... I didn’t get one of those. Three kudu erupt from a thin line of brush. I’m yelling to Stu “which one is he !?”. Neither one of us can tell which bull it is as they run across a open burn towards a thick woodlot one hundred yards away. Needless to say I didn’t get a second shot opportunity. The bull bled very high on the brush and only for a total of maybe 20 drops (the equivalent of him running into a thorn bush) before we lost him....now my kudu hunting is over just like that. Can we please go back to camp now ??
I’m not even sure if I ate lunch but I do know one thing for sure- that kudu will not become a hyena or a lion meal, at least not tonight. The afternoon chance for a bushbuck wasn’t successful in any form or fashion so we made our way to sit in the hyena blind. I settled the rifle through the grass blind much like I envision sitting in a leopard blind. About 20 minutes before dark I see movement in the depression below the buff rib cage. Hyena ! It slips up slowly to the bait along with 2 others in tow. My heart sinks as they are youngsters. The evening brought no adults. It had been a good day, just not as good as it could’ve been. And thank goodness that was completely my fault. View attachment 558354View attachment 558356View attachment 558362View attachment 558358View attachment 558360View attachment 558365View attachment 558366

Really enjoying reading your adventure, thanks for taking the time to write this. Gives me a great feel as what to expect , as I will be there in a few days !

 

[DAVE FREEBURN SAFARIS]

Beauti

Stu is a class act and the whole Classic African hunting team know what they are doing. Will be heading back there in Oct for a Buffalo Hunt

 

[Franco]

Great hunt, glad to see you were successful and had a good time with Stu.

I was just there, I shot an elephant with Stu in July, and witnessed those herds of buffalo he was describing. I got a zebra, waterbuck, and a really nice kudu as well.

 

[Fatback]

Really enjoying your write up. Sorry to hear about your Kudu misadventures. Way to keep your chin up and in the game. Really pulling for your to close the deal on a big hyena.