Ruan Bouwer
AH senior member
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2013
- Messages
- 68
- Reaction score
- 119
- Location
- South Africa
- Media
- 21
- Articles
- 3
- Member of
- SAHGCA
- Hunted
- South Africa, Botswana
South Africa is having a very cold winter ... we would know, we felt it on our Free State hunting trip! It was super cold. Temperatures reached about -8 degrees Celsius (17 degrees Fahrenheit) !
We depart to Strydfontein Guest Farm on the 3rd of July 2014. It is a 4 hour drive from where we live. We go and pick up the trailer we are taking with us. We then go and pick up my dad's friend, Oom Willem. He is also his partner/colleague. We pack all his stuff in the trailer, greet his wife, and off we go to my dad's office, where we pick up my cousin. He works for my dad & he is my dad's senior clerk. He left his car at the office so it would be easier. We quickly load all his stuff into the trailer, check everything at the office, and off we go to the farm!
We drive for about 3 hours, and then stop at a garage to get pies and something to drink. It is only my cousin, my dad, his friend & me. We call Oom Buks, the farm owner/long time friend of ours, to ask where we would meet him. We are staying at Strydfontein Guest Farm, but hunting on Oom Buks's farm. He tells us that we should go to the Guest Farm, he will meet us there. So we get back in the car, and off we go. We stop again just a few kilometres before the Guest Farm and get out, and the adults have a beer! Well, I had some beer too ... ginger beer! Haha!
After they are done with their beer, we get back for the last few kilometres. We arrive at the Guest Farm at about 18:00. We meet Oom Joseph, the owner of the Guest Farm, and his son Jan, at the very old farmhouse!
The first guy that lived there, was born in exactly 1800.
Later that evening, Oom Buks, the owner of the game farm, and his son, Oom Christo also arrived. Oom Buks is the most interesting person I know, and the person with the most knowledge about nature of anyone I have ever met. He is the greatest person, and I have a lot of respect for him! He worked in the Kruger National Park for a long time.
So back to the story, we all stand around the fire, having a lot of fun, chatting and laughing. I was very tired of the long road trip and everything, so I go to sleep at about 11pm that night. Oom Willem joins me. We wake up the next morning at about 7am, and me and Bouwer go make coffee for everyone. We drink our coffee, eat some of the wors & sosaties of the previous night, and we wait for Oom Christo to wake up. When he is up, we wait for Oom Joseph & Jan so we can plan the day. When they finally arrive, we tell them what we are going to do. They go on with their stuff, because they are not part of the hunting. At about 1 pm we depart to Glen Allen, the hunting farm. It belongs to Oom Christo. It is about 10-20km from the Guest Farm.
When we arrive at Glen Allen we check our rifles, chat, and we wait for the beer to come, because all the beer was finished. I don't even care, because I can't have beer! Haha! So my dad checks if everything is still fine with the rifle & scope. So then, he checks where it shot, and he sets it about 2 or 3 clicks up and 2 or 3 clicks left. So finally, after a HUGE wait, off we go to the bush! Me, Oom Christo, and Bouwer get into the Rhino ATV and off we go - time for the hunt. Oom Buks says that we should go search for the Red Hartebeest. We drive for about 20 mins, and there they stand, the Red Hartebeest herd. Oom Christo tells me to shoot the one at the back. I take aim, breathe out, and BOOM! The shot goes. I hit the Red Hartebeest bull perfectly. It falls right where it was standing. We go and pick it up, and off we go to search for other animals. A few mins later, Bouwer shoots a Springbok. We load it on the Rhino ATV together with the Red Hartebeest. Later, we find a herd of Blue Wildebeest. We check them out, and I shoot a cow. I shot her 4 times before she fell. They are super tough!
And then, the moment arrives ... We tell the workers to go pick up the Blue Wildebeest, because I shot 1 and my dad shot 3! Me, my dad and Oom Buks hop on his Land Cruiser and we go show the workers where all the Blue Wildebeests lay. Oom Buks says I should shoot a Reindeer, so I should be ready with my rifle. I load, and make it safe. We drive for a few minutes, but find no Reindeer. So just as we go over the 'koppie', we see the Gemsbok. Oom Buks says: "Hit one!". I see a MASSIVE cow at the back! Her horns are beautiful! I know she's the one. They start walking, and we drive a bit forward. I put my Ruger 7x57 off safety, check her out through the telescope, and I know that she is mine. Oom Buks and my dad both say I should shoot her. I tell them that I thought so too. I take aim, breathe out, and then ... BOOM! The shot goes off, and she drops right there! A beautiful shot! She didn't even run a metre! There she lies, a beautiful Gemsbok cow. Oom Buks immediately says she's Rowland Ward! I am so happy. Me, my dad and Oom Buks try loading her alone, but without succeeding! She is super heavy. We call the workers to come help. I thank Oom Buks so much for the hunt, because he taught me so much, and gave us everything for free!
I can't wait for the measurement of this beauty, Oom Christo still has to measure it. Bouwer also shot an eland on the last day.
Thanks very much to my dad, Oom Buks, Oom Christo, Bouwer, Oom Willem, Oom Joseph, and Jan for this hunt! It was amazing, I enjoyed it so super very much!
-Ruan Bouwer (13)
We depart to Strydfontein Guest Farm on the 3rd of July 2014. It is a 4 hour drive from where we live. We go and pick up the trailer we are taking with us. We then go and pick up my dad's friend, Oom Willem. He is also his partner/colleague. We pack all his stuff in the trailer, greet his wife, and off we go to my dad's office, where we pick up my cousin. He works for my dad & he is my dad's senior clerk. He left his car at the office so it would be easier. We quickly load all his stuff into the trailer, check everything at the office, and off we go to the farm!
We drive for about 3 hours, and then stop at a garage to get pies and something to drink. It is only my cousin, my dad, his friend & me. We call Oom Buks, the farm owner/long time friend of ours, to ask where we would meet him. We are staying at Strydfontein Guest Farm, but hunting on Oom Buks's farm. He tells us that we should go to the Guest Farm, he will meet us there. So we get back in the car, and off we go. We stop again just a few kilometres before the Guest Farm and get out, and the adults have a beer! Well, I had some beer too ... ginger beer! Haha!
After they are done with their beer, we get back for the last few kilometres. We arrive at the Guest Farm at about 18:00. We meet Oom Joseph, the owner of the Guest Farm, and his son Jan, at the very old farmhouse!
The first guy that lived there, was born in exactly 1800.
Later that evening, Oom Buks, the owner of the game farm, and his son, Oom Christo also arrived. Oom Buks is the most interesting person I know, and the person with the most knowledge about nature of anyone I have ever met. He is the greatest person, and I have a lot of respect for him! He worked in the Kruger National Park for a long time.
So back to the story, we all stand around the fire, having a lot of fun, chatting and laughing. I was very tired of the long road trip and everything, so I go to sleep at about 11pm that night. Oom Willem joins me. We wake up the next morning at about 7am, and me and Bouwer go make coffee for everyone. We drink our coffee, eat some of the wors & sosaties of the previous night, and we wait for Oom Christo to wake up. When he is up, we wait for Oom Joseph & Jan so we can plan the day. When they finally arrive, we tell them what we are going to do. They go on with their stuff, because they are not part of the hunting. At about 1 pm we depart to Glen Allen, the hunting farm. It belongs to Oom Christo. It is about 10-20km from the Guest Farm.
When we arrive at Glen Allen we check our rifles, chat, and we wait for the beer to come, because all the beer was finished. I don't even care, because I can't have beer! Haha! So my dad checks if everything is still fine with the rifle & scope. So then, he checks where it shot, and he sets it about 2 or 3 clicks up and 2 or 3 clicks left. So finally, after a HUGE wait, off we go to the bush! Me, Oom Christo, and Bouwer get into the Rhino ATV and off we go - time for the hunt. Oom Buks says that we should go search for the Red Hartebeest. We drive for about 20 mins, and there they stand, the Red Hartebeest herd. Oom Christo tells me to shoot the one at the back. I take aim, breathe out, and BOOM! The shot goes. I hit the Red Hartebeest bull perfectly. It falls right where it was standing. We go and pick it up, and off we go to search for other animals. A few mins later, Bouwer shoots a Springbok. We load it on the Rhino ATV together with the Red Hartebeest. Later, we find a herd of Blue Wildebeest. We check them out, and I shoot a cow. I shot her 4 times before she fell. They are super tough!
And then, the moment arrives ... We tell the workers to go pick up the Blue Wildebeest, because I shot 1 and my dad shot 3! Me, my dad and Oom Buks hop on his Land Cruiser and we go show the workers where all the Blue Wildebeests lay. Oom Buks says I should shoot a Reindeer, so I should be ready with my rifle. I load, and make it safe. We drive for a few minutes, but find no Reindeer. So just as we go over the 'koppie', we see the Gemsbok. Oom Buks says: "Hit one!". I see a MASSIVE cow at the back! Her horns are beautiful! I know she's the one. They start walking, and we drive a bit forward. I put my Ruger 7x57 off safety, check her out through the telescope, and I know that she is mine. Oom Buks and my dad both say I should shoot her. I tell them that I thought so too. I take aim, breathe out, and then ... BOOM! The shot goes off, and she drops right there! A beautiful shot! She didn't even run a metre! There she lies, a beautiful Gemsbok cow. Oom Buks immediately says she's Rowland Ward! I am so happy. Me, my dad and Oom Buks try loading her alone, but without succeeding! She is super heavy. We call the workers to come help. I thank Oom Buks so much for the hunt, because he taught me so much, and gave us everything for free!
I can't wait for the measurement of this beauty, Oom Christo still has to measure it. Bouwer also shot an eland on the last day.
Thanks very much to my dad, Oom Buks, Oom Christo, Bouwer, Oom Willem, Oom Joseph, and Jan for this hunt! It was amazing, I enjoyed it so super very much!
-Ruan Bouwer (13)
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