Hunt over water; Shoot from truck

[PapaPaint]

First, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my other posts as I plan my first hunt. You have been a wealth of information and I am most grateful.

For this post….
I would like to get a feel for what’s acceptable/sporting on two topics…
1) Hunting over water
2) Shooting animals from the truck

- Is the choice purely one of preference or is there a sportsmanship flavor as well (which can also be tied to preference)?
- Does it depend on the species you’re hunting?….i.e. - Kudu versus warthog
- Does it vary by outfitter?…meaning some will do it and others won’t “allow” it?

My gut tells me I don’t want to finally be going on an Africa hunt and then shoot a critter from the truck, BUT if the kudu of a lifetime is out 250 yards from the truck, does that make it sporting?
It would seem to me that being able to stalk up on anything IS the “hunt” (and the sport)?

Curious what your thoughts are and…as always…your experience will help me decide.

 

[Stetsonham]

I think you can only answer this question for yourself as everyone has much different feeling/thoughts on the subject.

I can say that during one of my hunts I was pushed to shoot everything off the truck and I was pretty pissed off by the end. Needless to say I will not be hunting with that outfit again

 

[PapaPaint]

I think you can only answer this question for yourself as everyone has much different feeling/thoughts on the subject.

I can say that during one of my hunts I was pushed to shoot everything off the truck and I was pretty pissed off by the end. Needless to say I will not be hunting with that outfit again

Thank you, “Stetsonham”. I suspect this may be a “9mm vs. 40S&W” thing, but I can see it both ways. I have to wonder if some folks start out thinking one way, but then change up their plan if they hit Day 6 or 7 and have several animals remaining on their list….especially if they’re not planning a second (third, fourth) hunt?

 

[bakerb]

There's a definite sportsmanship component. Some species will stand still and you could bow shoot one from the back of a truck. Some run as soon as they see the truck. I don't have a problem with people doing it for plains game where it's legal, but I prefer not to do it. Predators at night, leopards with hounds, those are different stories. It would be a damn crime in my opinion (unless disabled) to shoot an elephant or a buffalo from a truck. The essence of those hunts is being on foot with them and feeling fear.

 

[Albert GRANT]

It all depends on each person's situation. You decide what is best for you, and what you really don't want to do, then discuss it with your potential outfitters. You will know pretty quickly which one you should go with when having this conversation. No matter what any else's opinion on here (or any where else for that matter) is, if it's legal, you are comfortable with it, and are happy at the end, that's ALL that matters.

 

[PapaPaint]

There's a definite sportsmanship component. Some species will stand still and you could bow shoot one from the back of a truck. Some run as soon as they see the truck. I don't have a problem with people doing it for plains game where it's legal, but I prefer not to do it. Predators at night, leopards with hounds, those are different stories. It would be a damn crime in my opinion (unless disabled) to shoot an elephant or a buffalo from a truck. The essence of those hunts is being on foot with them and feeling fear.

Thanks, “bakerb”. Makes very good sense to me. No DG for us on this first trip. Strictly PG.

 

[HookMeUpII]

You will have to make these decisions for yourself based on your personal ethics. Your PH will ask you if you mind shooting from the truck and if not, tell them if you prefer not to. I can tell you, if you have a warthog on your list, you will have a hell of a time finding one NOT sitting by a pan/watering hole. Ground stalking warthogs is an effort in futility most times. The only animal I shot from a truck was over water as well and was...a warthog. Granted, we had been sitting there with the engine off for 2 hours.

With that being said, usually, you probably will not get a ton of truck shooting opportunities in Limpopo. It's very thick. Your opportunity to hunt from a truck will be very quick. Most of the animals will freeze for maybe 3-4 seconds before they trot off into the bush. That's 3-4 seconds for you to realize what you're seeing, to process your PH's go ahead, and then to actually line the animal up.

Watering holes are a nice break, IMO. After tons of driving around, stalking, etc. it's nice to sit and just see some cool stuff. You might not get to see some animals driving around and stalking. You also don't have to shoot anything either. We spent lunchtime at pans most days and it was awesome just to see the variety of stuff come in.

Here is the shot I took on my pig. We spent 2 days looking for a male. Settled on an old female "cull", of sorts. I had to shoot behind the rump of one cow, over the head of the one in the foreground, in front of one other, and maybe 5 minutes after taking this pic. Not an easy shot to say the least. I confessed to the PH I had concerns about accidentally hitting his cows as it was his land. In one of the best compliments anyone has ever paid me he said "I've seen you shoot, I'm not worried." I still was but in the end it worked out.

Red dot is where the pig was shot.

 

[375Fox]

I really don’t have a problem with either but I don’t want those methods to be the majority of my hunt. If you are riding on back of truck and see a big kudu at 50 yards on back of truck I’d take it. Sitting at a waterhole at lunch time can be a better experience than heading back to camp. Sitting at a waterhole on a day you couldn’t find tracks to follow is better than sitting at camp as well. It just depends I have no issue with either depending on the overall hunt and the area I’m hunting. On a game farm I probably have no interest in either now other than a warthog. If an opportunity presents itself in addition to the regular hunt in an unfenced or wild area I’m taking it.

 

[Doubleplay]

Certain species can’t be hunted regularly by stalking. For those you’ll be shooting wherever and however. The rest is really up to you.

 

[PapaPaint]

It all depends on each person's situation. You decide what is best for you, and what you really don't want to do, then discuss it with your potential outfitters. You will know pretty quickly which one you should go with when having this conversation. No matter what any else's opinion on here (or any where else for that matter) is, if it's legal, you are comfortable with it, and are happy at the end, that's ALL that matters.

Thanks, Albert. Very good points. We’ve already chosen our outfitter (without having had that specific conversation). Met them at a meet-and-greet put on by our taxidermist who has a third hunt scheduled with them next spring. Comes highly recommended by taxidermist and from multiple favorable posts here when I searched them. So, will be an alignment chat prior to beginning the hunt.

 

[HookMeUpII]

I really don’t have a problem with either but I don’t want those methods to be the majority of my hunt. If you are riding on back of truck and see a big kudu at 50 yards on back of truck I’d take it. Sitting at a waterhole at lunch time can be a better experience than heading back to camp. Sitting at a waterhole on a day you couldn’t find tracks to follow is better than sitting at camp as well. It just depends I have no issue with either depending on the overall hunt and the area I’m hunting. On a game farm I probably have no interest in either now other than a warthog. If an opportunity presents itself in addition to the regular hunt in an unfenced or wild area I’m taking it.

^ This

And usually if you see an animal from the truck that's on your list, worth taking, and don't get the shot...be ready to stalk. That's usually how it goes. They won't just bail on the opportunity. I'd venture to say most PH's will try to get you out and on it with a stalk. Which is incredibly fun.

 

[Reed Thoma Outdoors]

When I went, I didn't want to shoot any animals from the truck because I wanted to stalk up and make it a more intimate experience. My dad, who has knee issues, didn't mind shooting from the truck and harvested many animals this way. Many of the animals aren't too scared of the truck but as soon as you get out, they are flighty. I ended up shooting all my animals off the truck besides my blesbok. My father and I were trying to double up the last evening and we could not get into close enough range by foot as they were in an open field. We could get to 200yds away in the truck so my dad popped his then it was my turn. I had a horrible display of my shooting skills making bad shots. I could not get comfortable shooting off the truck. Safaris here on out I don't think i'll shoot from a truck again unless completely necessary. This is more of a preference and just doesn't match with my style of hunting. I believe shooting from the truck is still sporting but not my cup of tea.
I also hunted a waterhole to no avail. we had many animals come in just none I was interested in. The animals were still really wary of the blind and would flinch if you moved. I believe this method is sporting too, especially if bow hunting.

 

[Bearkat]

Shooting from the truck would be up to you. I had no intention of finally making it to Africa and not stalk the animals. One afternoon, we had spotted a heard of Gemsbok with a particular one we were looking for mixed in. We put on a length stalk using a dry creek bed as cover. The heard was feeding fast going away from us so we were moving quickly. We came to a spot where the neighbors fence crossed the creek, which pushed us out into the open. We used the last couple bushes to shield us, when we finally ran out of cover. The heard kept moving and we could never get a shot on the animal we were after. We went back to the bakkie and started heading back to camp as it was getting late. Who did we drive right up to? You guessed it, the Gemsbok we wanted. They out did us on the stalk and "won the day". It would have been a chip shot off the side mirror, but there was no way I was going to take it. It would have been a chip shot off the side mirror, but there was no way I was going to take it. I ended up getting the Gemsbok that next evening, but that is a whole different story involving the smart critter using a heard of Cape Buffalo as a shield.

 

[PapaPaint]

You will have to make these decisions for yourself based on your personal ethics. Your PH will ask you if you mind shooting from the truck and if not, tell them if you prefer not to. I can tell you, if you have a warthog on your list, you will have a hell of a time finding one NOT sitting by a pan/watering hole. Ground stalking warthogs is an effort in futility most times. The only animal I shot from a truck was over water as well and was...a warthog. Granted, we had been sitting there with the engine off for 2 hours.

With that being said, usually, you probably will not get a ton of truck shooting opportunities in Limpopo. It's very thick. Your opportunity to hunt from a truck will be very quick. Most of the animals will freeze for maybe 3-4 seconds before they trot off into the bush. That's 3-4 seconds for you to realize what you're seeing, to process your PH's go ahead, and then to actually line the animal up.

Watering holes are a nice break, IMO. After tons of driving around, stalking, etc. it's nice to sit and just see some cool stuff. You might not get to see some animals driving around and stalking. You also don't have to shoot anything either. We spent lunchtime at pans most days and it was awesome just to see the variety of stuff come in.

Here is the shot I took on my pig. We spent 2 days looking for a male. Settled on an old female "cull", of sorts. I had to shoot behind the rump of one cow, over the head of the one in the foreground, in front of one other, and maybe 5 minutes after taking this pic. Not an easy shot to say the least. I confessed to the PH I had concerns about accidentally hitting his cows as it was his land. In one of the best compliments anyone has ever paid me he said "I've seen you shoot, I'm not worried." I still was but in the end it worked out.

Red dot is where the pig was shot. View attachment 594846

Thank you “HookMeUpII”. Great feedback based on your experience…i.e.- seeing more at water holes whether we choose to shoot or not.
Also, good to know on the warthogs. My brother retired from the Air National Guard and his crew worked on the A10 Warthogs, so guess what the #1 animal is on his list.
And…allowing me a “Top Gun” reference…
“Gutsiest thing I ever saw” (that warthog shot).

 

[Stetsonham]

I really don’t have a problem with either but I don’t want those methods to be the majority of my hunt. If you are riding on back of truck and see a big kudu at 50 yards on back of truck I’d take it. Sitting at a waterhole at lunch time can be a better experience than heading back to camp. Sitting at a waterhole on a day you couldn’t find tracks to follow is better than sitting at camp as well. It just depends I have no issue with either depending on the overall hunt and the area I’m hunting. On a game farm I probably have no interest in either now other than a warthog. If an opportunity presents itself in addition to the regular hunt in an unfenced or wild area I’m taking it.

Great way of looking at it! Very much agree

 

[TTundra]

I really don’t have a problem with either but I don’t want those methods to be the majority of my hunt. If you are riding on back of truck and see a big kudu at 50 yards on back of truck I’d take it. Sitting at a waterhole at lunch time can be a better experience than heading back to camp. Sitting at a waterhole on a day you couldn’t find tracks to follow is better than sitting at camp as well. It just depends I have no issue with either depending on the overall hunt and the area I’m hunting. On a game farm I probably have no interest in either now other than a warthog. If an opportunity presents itself in addition to the regular hunt in an unfenced or wild area I’m taking it.

X3 for this. Spot on for me.

 

[Rare Breed]

First, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my other posts as I plan my first hunt. You have been a wealth of information and I am most grateful.

For this post….
I would like to get a feel for what’s acceptable/sporting on two topics…
1) Hunting over water
2) Shooting animals from the truck

- Is the choice purely one of preference or is there a sportsmanship flavor as well (which can also be tied to preference)?
- Does it depend on the species you’re hunting?….i.e. - Kudu versus warthog
- Does it vary by outfitter?…meaning some will do it and others won’t “allow” it?

My gut tells me I don’t want to finally be going on an Africa hunt and then shoot a critter from the truck, BUT if the kudu of a lifetime is out 250 yards from the truck, does that make it sporting?
It would seem to me that being able to stalk up on anything IS the “hunt” (and the sport)?

Curious what your thoughts are and…as always…your experience will help me decide.

Not sitting in judgement! I just personally do not want to shoot an animal from a vehicle and would personally refuse if told too.

 

[Stubbleduck]

My first two trips to South Africa I did the typical bow hunter in a blind at a waterhole / feed / salt location. After the second trip and some thought I realized that those hunts, while quite successful, were much like hunting at the zoo. My third trip I asked not to sit in blinds and enjoyed the hunt much more.

 

[Drywaller44]

There maybe a couple species like a jackal or baboon that I would shoot off the truck but to me your memories are going to be made on the stalk for the animal. There isn’t really any story to tell if you’re just shooting the animal off the truck. For me, my favorite trophies are the animals I had to work hard to get.

 

[PapaPaint]

There maybe a couple species like a jackal or baboon that I would shoot off the truck but to me your memories are going to be made on the stalk for the animal. There isn’t really any story to tell if you’re just shooting the animal off the truck. For me, my favorite trophies are the animals I had to work hard to get.

Great point on “the story to tell”. I’ve watched a mess of the hunt videos, with many showing great scenes of the group sitting around the campfire. I can imagine…”Tell us about YOUR day Brian”. “Well, I shot a [fill in the blank] off the truck.