SOUTH AFRICA: Nocturnal Hunt With Wintershoek & Safari Afrika

Yes waiting for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say... What province is this hunt in?

Amen to that.

Lee M said:

Yes waiting for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say... What province is this hunt in?

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Limpopo, with one exception, when I ventured into Mpumalanga.

I'm basically 0 for 2 on baiting for small cats myslef- dang brown hynea kept stealing our bait on last trip. Sitting in the dark every minute seems like 10 !!!

Great story so far. Reminds me of spotlighting on my buddy's Texas ranch. It was always great fun slowly driving around, drinking a beer, enjoying the Texas night. Lucky for us, there was never any shortage of raccoons and hogs to go after, but that was only half the point of the experience.

Passing on that leopard...now that's discipline!

Cool start

That has to hurt having to pass Oma leopard. Especially omegas accommodating as that one was...... Enjoying the details. Please,carry on. Bruce

I like this story so far.

Can't wait to hear some more. I know the place you are hunting at is a great area.

CAustin said:

I like this story so far.

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So far? I'm starting to get worried. If I don't get something soon, will I lose you?!

BRICKBURN said:

Sitting...... Still.......

Tougher than anyone thinks.

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No doubt. It's the hardest method of hunting for me!

Loving the report and looking forward to some pics!

Looking forward to the rest!

Hank I'm here for the whole story. I got time and so do you! Keep working it!

CAustin said:

Hank I'm here for the whole story. I got time and so do you! Keep working it!

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I'm trying, I'm trying! Here's the next instalment.


Day 2 (April 10)

We’d gotten back to the house around 1 am, and fortunately Rex and Roxy had gotten to know me. A quick bowl of delicious soup eaten, and then off to bed.

Breakfast was again at 7.30 am, and we were out the door at 8 or so. In checking the baits and cameras we found that no hyena had come to the blind we had sat in, but that the pigs had come back around 2 am, and the leopard had come back a couple of hours after that. Other baits had also been hit, with the “open field” bait having had action from bush pigs and hyena. We decided to sit on that bait tonight.

This blind was more comfortable than the others because it was built around a tree, which was just behind my right shoulder. As a result, when sitting in the blind, I could rest my gun against the tree (not having to hold on to it all the time was a great relief) and I could lean against the tree, which allowed me to sleep at least part of the time, without waking up with a jolt each time my head dropped down!

I’ll spare you the hour by hour details. Suffice to say that nothing came to the bait, although we thought we heard some movement. But movement doesn’t give you a shot.

I was starting to get a bit more anxious about getting a shot at the hyena. Richard was pretty clear that they wouldn’t sit still for a white light, and would only sit still briefly – a few seconds at most – for a red light. I was concerned – particularly in this blind where there was a wide-open expanse in front of me – that it would take me some time to even point the gun in the right direction, let alone find the animal in the scope. Funny how these things begin to bother you so early in the hunt – I wasn’t sure how I’d get a shot at a hyena at this point, given how long it took me to get a sight picture with a red light.

After leaving the blind, we began to spotlight in the area. I should have said that it was really very cold by this point, and I had to wear all of my clothes – including my parka – in the blind. On the back of the bakkie, it was even colder, and without the parka, I’d have been borrowing clothes from anyone who had something to lend me.

We had been spotlighting for about an hour, and I was lost in day (night?) dreams, when John suddenly said, “Get ready!” I said “I can’t see anything” – John could easily have said "what else is new" but instead he said “I’ll move back over it but when I stop, you need to shot right away!” I didn’t take the time to ask what I was shooting at, hoping I’d be able to figure it out before I took the shot (in my experience, PH’s hate stupid (or at least ill-timed) questions).

John slowly moved the spotlight to the left and I followed through my scope. I suddenly saw a pair of eyes, about 60 yards away, which began to move. I immediately took a shot and then looked up to see what had happened. An animal of some sort was dancing around and jumping in the air. John told me to quickly get off the truck and get over there - he said I’d hit it but he didn’t like the reaction, and that it might just be stunned. Both of us grabbed our lights and ran over to where we thought the animal was. On the way I asked John what I’d shot at – “Serval” was his reply – “didn’t you see it?” Absolutely, I said, I just wanted to be sure you saw the same thing. Right. Good thing at least one of us knows what he’s doing.

We had to search a bit to find the right spot – the grass was about 24 inches high, but reasonably sparse – and within a short time we found it. It was in fact a serval, and I’d shot the top of its head off! I’d used my .375 with a solid – which was a good idea or I’d have blown the head clean off – but in my haste to shoot I’d forgotten that at that short distance, the shot would be a bit higher than the crosshairs. No problem – lucky is as good as smart, at least in this case.

I was absolutely thrilled with my trophy. It was a male, in good shape, and a taxidermist would be able to fix the top of the head. And what was even better, I needed the reassurance that this process could actually work, and that the animals were actually out there.

Both John and Richard were equally thrilled. Serval are not necessarily uncommon, but they are hard to find, especially when you’re looking for them. This was a great way to end the evening – with my No. 1 priority in the salt.

While I was relieved to have gotten the serval, I wasn’t particularly relieved by the manner in which I got him. Firstly, it goes against the grain to shoot at something I can’t really see, and which I certainly can’t identify. I trust John completely, but I know that the ultimate responsibility is mine – if he misidentifies something, and I shoot it, I’m in the wrong. I can’t hold him to a standard of perfection, especially given the time available for these judgments. But I don’t see any other way to make this work. John has told me that if I wait for everything to be perfect, I won’t get a shot. The second challenge is that the time available to shoot, at least based on this first shot, is likely not more than a couple of seconds, and more likely a fraction of that. While I tend to shoot quickly (thinking about a shot is a perfect way for me to blow it), even by my standards this is fast – I’ll be shooting at the eyes or a bit below, without being able to really decide where to put the bullet.

Lots of new stuff to get used to. None of it easy.

@Hank2211 I'm following this report intently!

Any pictures of the serval? Perhaps with a sheet over his head?

congratulations on your serval , hank

Thank you Hank! Keep the news coming!

I would have thought I'd get more requests for pictures. This must be a very trusting crowd.

Serval on the ground:



Serval hanging up:

Looks great Hank. Congratulations.

Your fortunate and need to treasure the bottom photo. You have caught the rare photo of Tinkerbell! (Just to the right of the rifle)

Wheels said:

Your fortunate and need to treasure the bottom photo. You have caught the rare photo of Tinkerbell!

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Cute, also saw that!

Nicely done @Hank2211! That is one beautiful special trophy and another great cat to add to your slam… Not sure if there is one, a "cat slam". Thanks for sharing another one of your adventures with us!