SOUTH AFRICA: Two Weeks With Tootabi Hunting Safaris The Time Of My Life

Flying to and from Port Elizabeth, SAA required the ammo removed from the checked luggage and Locked and shipped separate from the rifles and checked luggage and our rifle cases were inspected throughout. Had my binoculars in the rifle case, Pelican case, and they inspected them also.
 
Hunted with Tootabi in June, also had a fantastic trip and memorable experience. Love your Kudu,, an d looking forward to another segment of your two fantastic weeks.
 
After taking the first animal of the Safari, I could tell my crew was relieved. Loodt said that the first animal sets the tone for the entire safari. If that was the case, then oh what a safari it was going to be. We had a monster kudu right out of the gate!

The game plan was simple, attach a medium sized tree as a drag to the back of the truck and begin driving the grid-work of internal road systems until we cut fresh tracks, all while clearing any old tracks behind us. Once we cut lion reasonably fresh tracks, we would search for clear signs of a male and continue to work the roads until we could establish a perimeter to the block he was in, then follow the tracks until we could identify him as a suitable male.

After continued driving with no fresh tracks of lion, we cut several lioness tracks crossing just outside of a water hole and quickly jumped out to investigate. The pride had circled downwind of the water and then crossed the road into the next track. Along the back had been a male that had travelled later and by the size of the track it was definitely our boy. The track was huge; much larger than I had anticipated. Unfortunately to this point, all I had for comparison was the many mounted specimens I had inspected, but this track seemed to be well beyond any that I had seen thus far. Maybe it’s the small forms, the inability of sculptors to capture the real-life size of a lion’s paw, or perhaps Simba was really that big.

We began following the track and it strayed from the females long to the right. As we followed the tracks everyone was on high alert always watching for what could be a hidden surprise under any tree, behind any bush, or lying patiently in the tall grass. I tried to follow the instructions of my PHs the best that I could and help them watch for the cat as the trackers followed the spoor, but I couldn’t help myself from glancing down and following the tracks myself. A blind man could have followed these tracks as his heavy feet left deep impressions in the sand. Eventually the track led across another road and based on the estimated age, we decided to abandon the track and return with the truck to check the perimeter of this block.

After circling we found that he had crossed yet another road and we began the perimeter search again. The constant search for a lion didn’t prevent me from noticing how much wildlife was hidden among the brush. A constant supply of impala, several kudu, an occasional waterbuck and one fine Sable had all been a part of our visual search and occasional photo session.
 

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As we began a new perimeter drive, we spotted yet another sable bedded down and I couldn’t resist the photo opportunity. I’m normally not one to interfere with hunting in any way, but after all, Africa is supposed to be a vacation and we already had one animal in the salt. Quickly focusing the larger of my lenses revealed it to be a very old sable. He had the unique feature of having a white section of main on his neck which had not been seen previously by anyone in the group. I could tell he had good length to his horns, but nothing truly monstrous. Both horns showed severe wear and were much shorter in length than they had been at his prime. We didn’t know the extent of his age until he stood and began walking off. Most sable are so massive and elegant with a full body and a neck that is consistent with the look of a Clydesdale stallion. This sable’s neck was thin, his shoulders were boney and his entire back end looked absence of muscle mass. He was truly an old monarch that was on his last leg. As I carefully took aim with the camera and began snapping picture after picture there were many shared comments about his current condition and Loodt made the comment that he was near death and would soon be lion bait. Little did I know at the time, but he was already negotiating on my behalf to present me with an unbelievable deal. Although I had an extensive list, there were several animals that I removed so that I could afford the ones I desired the most. Sable was never any list of mine except for a “wish list” that I kept in the back of my head for another of those “One Day” animals. Truthfully, I would love to have one but I would much rather shoot the 3 to 4 other large animals that you can get for the same price.

After some conversations in Afrikaans Loodt asked me if I wanted a sable. I responded that I’d love to have one, but couldn’t afford one. He again asked if I wanted a sable and I repeated my answer yet again, with a question of just how much of a kidney I would have to sell. I typically don’t like to discuss such things while in the field, but for an animal such as this that can really impact your pocketbook, it is unavoidable. Surprisingly I liked what I heard and Loodt provided no pressure in the decision. I knew that the concession owner would rather see an animal such as this utilized and bring in an income as opposed to becoming lion bait, but I still had to have that imaginary conversation with my better half in which I gained permission. I jumped off from the truck with bow in hand and as Loodt asked if I was going after him, I quickly confirmed and off we went.

The sable had moved off and I rather hurriedly minimized the distance between where I thought he was and myself. As I approached I slowed to a very minimal low crouch and began looking for any signs of black through the bush. I then spotted him moving away at a slight angle and I proceeded to move through the bush. Using the quiet sand and thick brush to my advantage, I easily closed within bow range and as he stopped in an opening I came to full draw. Unfortunately he knew something was up and took off at a light trot. In less than 100 yards he came to another slow walk and I repeated my previous tactic. Once within 30 yards, I could see through the brush in front of me that he was about to walk through an opening approximately 10 yards wide. I began drawing while still on the move and stepped out from behind the brush as he entered the opening. He paused momentarily, just long enough for me to send the DRT through the front of his right shoulder and exiting behind his left. Double Lung! Within 50 yards he was down and what a trophy!
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Nice animals and great story
 
After another intense photo shoot we returned to the lodge to drop off my sable and to grab a quick bite to eat. Day 1 was already a great success. Two phenomenal animals and with still plenty of time for my lion within the next 3 days. We were definitely ahead of schedule!

I later found out that none of the team were really betting on finding the lion, or at least, collecting it before sundown, but that’s where ignorance and ambition from a newbie comes in. With a very full stomach we proceeded with the previous plan of finding the last block the lion had entered and failed to exit. One more perimeter search yielded no tracks along the road – BINGO! We quickly dismounted from the vehicle and the track was on.

I wanted to avoid any potential danger or damage to my equipment, so I did not maintain a nocked arrow, but I did have one readily available in my left hand for a quick load and launch if need be. (Who hasn’t dreamed of stopping a charging lion with a bow?) The tracks took us through about every type of cover imaginable, from open grassland, to the bushveld, to really dense trees with minimal ground cover. Finally the tracks began to sway back and forth as the lion looked for a place to bed down for the day. All of us displayed that our senses were peaked as every sound from the bush brought our ears and eyes in that direction. Ahead we spotted a dense group of trees that produced a dark shadow on the ground beneath with an open understory – we were sure he would be in there. Quietly we moved in, inching forward and not only listening and watching, but smelling. I had yet to smell a lion, but I was sure that I would be able to place a new pungent odor if directed at me. I moved in behind the lead PH so that I wouldn’t be shooting past the group and gave him enough room that I could keep an arrow nocked at all times. We continually squatted down to the ground in an attempt to put our eyes as low as possible and hopefully catch that bit of yellow hidden beyond branches. Half way in we caught his scent. He was there or, at least, had been there very recently. Looking into the wind revealed nothing. We could see out the other side. Had we bumped him before we ever started in? We then found his bed, a very large impression in the sand and a few places where his tail had swished behind him and a litter of tracks. The tracks leading from the bed were close together and not dug into the sand – Yes, we hadn’t spooked him. Beyond the dense group of trees was very open with only occasional cover. Surely he was to be where we could see him. – Yet again, we were wrong.

The tracks continued through grass at a leisurely pace when suddenly one of the trackers spotted a lion. It was our boy, hidden only slightly in the shadows of a very small group of trees. It was the lion we wanted and he had already spotted us. He was holding his ground, for now, and as we were already less than 100 yards, I only needed to close to 50 to make a shot. I wanted to be much closer due to the possible gravity of the post-shot situation, but I was prepared if need be. With the backup guns ready, we cautiously moved forward, keeping the ever-shrinking cover between us and the lion.

It is amazing how several hundred pounds of claws and teeth can heighten your blood pressure. With every step he seemed to grow larger and larger. As I closed to nearly my desired distance, the lion had tripled in size, this was going to be the biggest cat ever taken with a bow (now we know how fishing stories go…………….) All jokes aside though, I was very amazed at how large this particular cat was. Beyond zoos and other enclosures, I hadn’t seen a lion before, but felt that I still had a very good understanding of their size, mechanics, etc. While this guy may not have been the Bon Jovi of the lion kingdom, he had a very good mane, but a way more impressive body.

Quickly the lion moved around to the other side of the trees and we changed directions slightly to our left. If he would pause I could now get a shot. I checked my range finder and he was at 56 yards, a bit further than what I wanted and I opted to advance hoping that he would hold tight. After two more steps, it proved to be the wrong decision. If there is anyone out there that doesn’t think a large lion can speed race, they clearly haven’t been to Africa and bumped one from only 50 yards away.

We quickly took up the tracks and it was amazing to see the distance between the prints. After a ways, the tracks began to show evidence of him slowing down and we again were looking for the cat. Eventually the cat was walking again and we repeated the previous tracking efforts.

The next time we busted him, we never saw him. He had only stopped momentarily to check his followers and was off again. I can’t speak as to how far we followed him, but I really felt that the game was over for the day. The evening was quickly ticking by and he clearly knew we were in pursuit, but we pushed on. Much later I spotted him in the distance moving from right to left. We were probably 125 yards behind him and he paused briefly to check behind him and continued on at a generous walk. Several more minutes of pursuit provided no more sightings, but the tracks revealed he had kept a constant pace.

We soon spotted him again, but this time we were much closer, only about 80 yards and we had quite a bit of brush between us. The PH and I took advantage of the lion moving through the brush angling away from us and rushed to work into position. This would put us only about 40 yards from where he would re-enter an opening. I came to full draw while still in motion and came around the brush.
The massive head and mane began to appear in the opening, but he was turned much too sharply to shoot. This would have been the perfect opportunity, but not as lady luck would have it. (She can be a real witch sometimes……….) To add further disappointment, the lion must have caught us in his peripheral vision and paused momentarily to look back and then bolted again.

What happened next might would seem crazy to many Americans, or those whom are ignorant with animal biology and behavior, especially with lions. Most would have backed out and left him for another day, or perhaps continued slowly in hopes of sneaking up on him again; we tore out full speed after him. You may hear it said that you hunt elephant with your feet, well I can affirm that you hunt lion with your feet too. And your legs, and your lungs, and your heart. By staying on his trail we would force him to maintain speed until his panting became too great, his temperature too high and his annoyance too great and he would have to stand.

I am a former long-distance runner, but you might could say I have been retired for quite some time. My job doesn’t permit me to stay in shape with the hours and responsibilities that I have, so while I am in decent shape, my cardio leaves something to be desired. Luckily my most adequate attribute (as my wife will confirm) is my extreme stubbornness. We ran for quite some time and I distinctly remember being winded, but was we pushed on I found my “second wind” and the hot pursuit continued.

We finally caught up to the lion as he slowed briefly and I again came to full draw. I was inside 30 yards this time, but the only shot was directly from the rear and I was not about to make that my initial shot. We then began the run again and this time it was much shorter. I continued to watch the brief glimpses of the lion in front of me and try to predict his movement so that I could be in position. Suddenly I noticed him make a left turn and I quickly read the brush in front of me. Altering my route to the right with the PH to the left, I found an opening that old Simba was about to move into. I came to full draw while still in the process of moving and as I stopped the PH’s guns went up. The lion not only came into the opening, but stopped. It is at times like these that I am so thankful for the amount of time I’ve spent on the archery range and field judging targets, animals, and anything else in preparation. Mentally I felt it was around 32/33 yards, so I centered my 30 yard pin on him and let it fly!

I can still vividly see the flight of the arrow; the spin from the helical vanes as it flew toward him. The impact was perfect, slightly behind the shoulder and straight through the heart. A horrendous growl filled the air as he did a complete 180 and took off. I quickly knocked another arrow and stood there in disbelief. I had finally arrowed my most wanted animal of my life and although I had yet to lay hands on him, it was still a euphoric moment.

We waited a few minutes, but to prevent the onset of darkness we followed up a bit quicker than we originally would have decided. Within 100 yards, I spotted him in a group of trees. The evidence of a proper hit was all down his left side, but to prevent any possible harm to myself or anyone on the team, I paid him some insurance with the .375. Some may not believe in that, but I had made a fatal shot with the bow and if it prevents someone from getting hurt or worse, then you had better pay the insurance.

I will have to say, this group of guys was absolutely awesome and all seemed impressed with the size of the lion. What a first day to a safari: A Monster Kudu, the Great Grand Daddy of Sable, and a Lion that I’m pretty sure could have eaten a buffalo whole! (I did sneak one picture in from the following week after the skull was cleaned, but more on that later)
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but I still had to have that imaginary conversation with my better half in which I gained permission.

You have those conversations too? It seems that I always get my way when negotiating with my better half while in the field. Funny how that works!
 
Seriously awesome! What a first day hunting!
 
Congrats! Spot and stalk hunting for lion with a bow and arrow is quite an accomplishment.
 
I Thought I would add a few more pictures as I am currently working on the next day's review. Here are some shots of the lodge. I'm not sure why I do not have the option to do a full image upload to pictures taken from my camera as opposed to my phone?
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Great read so far and awesome lion! What was your bow setup you used with the lion?
 
whata start bloke .
knocking all that over spot and stalking , in a day bowhunting ..........
the rest of your trip is going to take some keeping up to ......
congratulations
 
@gillettehunter he measured out at 55 inches. @H50 my bow is a Mathews Creed set at 70 lbs with a 28.5" draw. Arrows are FMJ .340 with a 125 grain. Single bevel DRT from Dirtnap Gear. It worked perfectly!

Thanks for all the support guys! I know it's a long story but with so my good things to say and share it's hard to cut anything out!!!
 
:D Beers:It's a fantastic hunting story so far
 
We all ate well that night and celebrated with an open fire and reminisced on the day that was now gone by. Loodt and I spent some time going over the pictures and video from that day and reliving the experience. I actually slept about 6 hours that night – BIG SURPRISE!

Day Two:

The next morning we were in no hurry to get started as we would go out for a morning hunt in hopes of getting an impala and then make half of the drive to the Eastern Cape, stopping in Bloemfontein. After a good breakfast we got started and I couldn’t help but notice how much colder it was than the day prior. I checked my phone and much to my surprise, it was only 5 degrees difference than yesterday. It must have been my blood pressure and excitement that was keeping me so warm the day prior.

In Africa, cold is a relative term as my slight chill that is worthy of long sleeves is multiple jacket and beanie weather for Africans. However, the animals must have felt it too as it was quite some time before we spotted anything. First was a small group of impala ewes, then a waterbuck and another group of impala in the distance that we were curious about. We dismounted from the truck and stalked in for closer inspection. We moved to within bow range of a couple ewes before they bolted and alarmed the group, but no males seemed to be with them so we went back to the truck.

We found a few more kudu along the route and one fairly good one, but not of the caliber of the big bull I had taken the day before. Finally we spotted some rams among a group of ewes and stopped for closer inspection. A couple of small rams and one that I guessed to be about 22-23’’. Loodt was adamant that I was a bit short in my estimation and we drove the truck past so as to not alarm them and then parked for the pursuit. As I grabbed my bow, Loodt reminded me not to get tunnel vision and forget about the group of lionesses in the area. How could I forget that? Especially when only 50 yards into the stalk was an evident set of tracks. These tracks were a few days old but clearly showed evidence of having been dragging something such as a warthog. Moving forward with our eyes focusing on the impala, the drag marks led from a warthog den. Evidently the warthog had come from his den unknowing to the fact that a lion had waited patiently on his exit.

Back to the impala – A couple of ewes spotted us and alerted the group, but the males seemed to only move off a short distance and we continued the advance. We actually made it to less than 50 yards and I was going to attempt the shot, but too much brush would have prevented any arrow from finding its mark. Moving to the right in an attempt to find an opening proved more than the impala could stand and this time he was gone.

The next group of impala we found were at water hole and had an exceptional ram in the group with some younger ones as well. Unfortunately, the entire group had spotted the truck and moved off along with some eland and kudu cows and warthogs. Pieter drove around the waterhole and onto another road to allow us to parallel the impala and then we dismounted and another stalk was on. As the group moved off from right to left, it allowed us to move rather quickly, so long as we stayed low and used the bushes to hide behind. We made it to an area that had an opening about 30 feet wide and many of the impala had already advanced through it. The ram we wanted was already half way through and moving toward the thick cover only feet in front of him. It was a quick shot, but he was down in only 20 yards! What a beautiful impala! He was actually larger than I thought as he had an inward twist to his horns that I hadn't observed previously when I examined him from afar. I was well pleased!
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After returning to the skinning shed, we took a few pictures of the animals from the day before and then we sat down for our last meal in the NW Province.


Now we are off to Bloomfontein!
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Congrats, great trophies. I can't imagine the lion shot through the heart still being alive several minutes later!
 
..... I can certainly say that I have never dreamed of stopping a lion charge with a bow and arrow. Great story ... thanks for taking us along!
 
After a long drive to Bloemfontein, Loodt surprised me with a visit to a Cheetah experience where I got to observe everything from Tigers, Lions, Caracal, Jackal to actually getting up close and personal with a young cheetah!

Then we drove to the hotel, The Villa Bali, and it proved to be very nice!
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