Day 11
We get settled into the blind and he is on the bait. Dalton is watching thru his Flir device. Then :10 before shooting light he leaves the tree. This disappointing, but also the boost we needed.
My wife is going to take the day off from walking and stalking due to yesterdays heat and sore knee.
We get into five different groups of cows throughout the day. often walking at a quick pace. Its another unseasonably hot day. over 100 again. One group had two tuskless without calves but we never get a clean shot. It still amazes me how close you can get to such a huge animal, but still have no ethical shot. A young bull got a little cheeky with us and we humbly withdraw.
The Fifth group and stalk of the day had a different result than all others. After tracking for some time and this being most likely just another stalk. I am going through the inner dialogue that we have lost the herd and am not fully in the moment, just blindly following along. Its hot and this is the 5th herd of the day.
Then I am shocked back into the present moment. We are in a small narrow creek bed with water and I look to my left at perhaps 30 yards and I see a handful of impala acting very nervous. at the same time my teams excitement level has risen. The trackers are pointing and getting very excited. Dalton is on high alert also. The sticks go up and I am thinking cool. I get to shoot something with my .505 Gibbs. one of the impala.
I think I raised my rifle towards the Impala. I don't remember which pointed out the huge grey beast at 25 yards, the tracker or Dalton.
An Instant shot of adrenalin hits me hard. I go from thinking I am shooting more bait to a huge Tuskless standing broadside at 25 yards apparently not knowing we were there. Dalton later shared how since the herd we were tracking was still ahead and she was off to the side and behind them. she was on that high creek bank listening to the herd ahead and also perhaps listening for us.
Dalton whispers for me to take the heart shot. I whisper back I can see the side brain shot. He says too many sticks and branches and to shoot her in the chest. I do as I am told and fire free hand from approximately 20-25 yards. with her being much higher than us on the creek bank it seemed further than 20 but I don't think it was.
She goes down immediately. (thru all the stalks I kept telling myself countless times. after the first shot rack and get a second shot off no matter what). (Dalton told horror stories of brain shot elephants' running away). So unconsciously I fire a second round into her falling body. Dalton and I both hit her with shots two and three before she hit the ground. More of a testament to my rifles very smooth action than my skill.
This all happened very quickly as it usually does. We walk to the majestic animal and Dalton ask me to put another insurance shot in the front of her chest. What a moment. She is ancient and now I
feel remorse and happiness that she died very quickly.
We all re tell the story over and over. Then Dalton calls our driver and says to me you want to know the best part of this is the the road is 20 yards away. Of course I had no idea. but what are the odds of tracking all those miles. and some stalks taking us miles and miles from roads. I am still shocked how they track the quarry anywhere and worry about how to get it out later.
I think back and am still shocked how the 525 grain CEB solid knocked her down immediately with a heart shot. She didn’t take one step. Definitely good elephant medicine. She is so old there isn’t even enough hair on her tail to make a braclet.
Dalton will have the tractor and wagon pickup the cow in the AM. All the meat was driven by tractor 50 miles away to the closest people and it’s donated there. It was nice that D&Y would spend the time and money to move that meat that far. a lot of time, labor and cost.
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