markferrigno
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2015
- Messages
- 394
- Reaction score
- 424
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Media
- 65
- Hunted
- Namibia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Slovania
I had sold myCZ550 in .300 WinMag soon after returning. It was a nice rifle but I wasn’t crazy about it nor the recoil (and ammo prices, much worse here in Germany) I decided to follow Wes and George’s advice of “bring your favorite deer rife” I have a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in .308.Shots great, very light and I am very comfortable. About the middle of the winter I picked up a HeymSR30 (stainless barrel also) straight pull bolt action in .308 It was heavily marked down at Frankonia, Germany’s (much more expensive) equivalent of Cabalas. As a civilian working with the DOD here I am eligible to use VAT forms, allowing me to not pay 16% of 19% VAT. Between that and the 25% markdown I got it for a steal. I put a Leupold VX-R 3-9x50 on top, went to range and was good to go.
Drove to Frankfurt, got on the plane and 8 or so hours later I was in George’s truck on my way to his ranch again. The excitement is unreal, it was the same as the year before, like a kid on Christmas morning. Got to the ranch, changed and headed out (arrive in Windhoek at 6 so you can hunt the first day) I wanted a nice Warthog and sure enough the first morning I got a pretty good one.
I won’t go into a day by day list of everything. I took another nice Gemsbock, Impala, Steenbock, Jackel, Hartman's Mountain Zebraand Black Wildebeest.
One story I will relate was the Black Wildebeest I took. We were out and found a good bull among a small herd. George warned me these suckers were tough so a good shot was a must. We stalked the herd along a wash, on a rocky hill running parallel to the wash. We got to about 110M, got into a good shooting position and squeezed the trigger. I hit the Bull right behind the shoulder, maybe an inch or so and he took off. George said “good hit”
We got down and started tracking, pink foamy blood and bits of lung, a good sign. We tracked him up and around to the road the truck was parked on. We saw him about 700M away on a small hill. He had run almost 2KM.
After about 10 mins of standing there staring at us, he started getting wobbly, doing circles and finally goes down. George had me stalk over with his son Hans Jurgen, (about 16 but an accomplished hunter/tracker) He said when you get there Hans Jurgen will throw a rock, if the Bull gets up pop him in the shoulder to keep him down. We get about 80M away and that Bull stands right up before any rock is thrown. I am ready and hit him again, almost in the same spot, about 1 inch behind the shoulder. He takes off again.
I hear a very loud “Sh*t” and I look over at Hans Jurgen. He gives me a look that is a perfect mixture of “you idiot” and intense frustration. George comes down in the truck, parks it and we start tracking. We all agree that with two good lung shots he can’t get very far. Well we all agree but then George adds “they are tough” We start to follow the blood trail. 10 mins in we hear the Bull grunting and crashing. It is dusk and if we don’t find him soon we will have to come back in the AM.
We walk about 15 mins more and George puts his hand up to stop. He has his binocular up trying to see inside the brush. As I reach for mine I glance at something about 5 feet to the left. There he is! Literally at my feet. I say to George jokingly “Hey George do you think this is him?” He looks down and lets out a loud laugh. The grunting and groaning and crashing was his death throe. We load him and Hans Jurgen comes over to congratulate me and shake my hand. He smiles at me with a look of relief and acknowledgement, maybe the shot wasn’t so bad after all.
Later, back at the house over a beer I tell George and Rikke (his wife) the story of Hans’ dirty look and pronouncement of my 2nd shot and we all have a good laugh.
And that is why I love hunting there.
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