HUNTING Hartebeest

Up wind? That's a good one. I didn't notice I wrote that. Down wind would be preferable.

This one wouldn't be hard to hunt:
We walked up to him and thought he was dead but after a while he woke upp. Looked at us newly awake
and ran away! Looked very fun!!!

Lrntolive said:

What's their keenest sense? Is it sight, hearing or smell? I know to stay up wind on any animal, but what comes next with hartebeest?

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No worries I understood

Not only do you have to be aware of the individual's senses but the senses of all neighbors including most birds (like "go away" birds) and smalls like duikers, etc. And, if present, giraffes… the aerial recon units of the bush. Most all antelope will gather around them and use them for that recon function especially in areas of leopards and lions.

Good point. I forget there are so many eyes, ears and noses in Africa to worry about.

This is one of the target animals on my list for my trip to Namibia. I hope I can get one on a stalk.

This animal is on my list saw one when I was there. Beautiful animal for sure and if have to take it with my bow.

My buddy's hartebeest

I have always said they have a face only a mother could love, but ever since I took my first RH I will always have them on my trophy list from now on. Not only are they fun to hunt they are also very beautiful animals, I shot a good one this year with KMG can't wait to get him home and on the wall.

November, 2016

This is the way I like to Hunt Plains game

We jumped out of the Toyota truck as Punge, our tracker skidded the vehicle to a stop. FC, my
PH here in Limpopo province of South Africa had spotted movement in the forest ahead
and jumped out of the back of the truck. He indicated the same for me as I handed him my
rifle. We were ready to pursue our Red-coated prey. FC signaled to Punge to wait
for our return. I was hunting with Bushman’s Quiver Outfitters and the Red Hartebeest was the
target. We could see the pair of animals ahead at the edge of a clearing about 80 yards away.
FC whispered to me to be especially quiet as they were on alert. As the wind changed, the
hartebeest trotted off ahead. I stayed close behind FC as he slowly moved on. The air was
cool in this early morning of my second day hunting Plains game.

My wife and I had just arrived here the day before from the Free State, SA where I had
harvested and nice Trophy Black Wildebeest on my first day of the Safari. I was shooting a
nice M1903 Custom Griffin and Howe Springfield 30.06 rife with G&H double lever side mount
cradling a Redfield Revolution 2x-7x variable scope. I had refitted the rifle with an English
Walnut stock with side panels and a schnabel for-end in the style of the famous turn of the
century American writer and African hunter Stewart Edward White’s Springfield. I did the
finish in Birchwood Casey True Oil hand rubbed oil finish. This was the first day we were using
the stalking method on Plains game. I was excited as we continued to follow our two bulls.
They had moved off about 100 yds as we slowly crept closer. We caught them at the edge of
another clearing tucked in some trees. Both of us stopped in hopes of an opportunity for a
shot, but the Hartebeest moved off again. Keeping the wind in our favor, FC and I moved oh so
quietly to close the distance but the bulls kept moving farther ahead of us. Following their
tracks in the soft red savannah dirt we were able to keep on the trail. FC was sure one of the
two was a really good bull, so we persisted in the cat and mouse game. As the morning drew
on the day got hotter so we stopped to rest and quench our thirst.

The bulls were still ahead of us as we spotted glimpses every now and then. We would move
along and FC would set up the shooting sticks for me to rest on, but the Hartebeests
quickly moved off without availing me a shot. I couldn’t help admiring how alert and cautious
they were. During this hunt I was wearing my RailRiders “insect shield” khaki clothes which I
have used in Africa in the past. They are very comfortable, made of cotton and are durable but
light weight which helps to keep me cooler during the heat of the day. They worked just fine so
far on this trip. I was also wearing my favorite Selous style two tone buffalo leather boots from
the Courteney Boot Company of Zimbabwe, Africa. They have an optional soft ripple soul
which makes for comfortable quiet walking. The ankle high uppers give good support while
walking on uneven ground. So, as a result, I was very comfortable.

FC and I would stop on occasion so as not to push these critters too hard. There were many
times when I thought we may never get a chance for a good shot. I was using my Nikon
Monarch M711 10x30 binoculars which helped to pick out the red coats of the Hartebeest
especially when they were standing in yhe thick wooded edges. At one point I could see an
area where the foliage gave way to a large open plain well over 200 Yds across. We
approached very slowly and deliberately to the edge of cover. There was a long log spread out
before me. We stopped just behind this log and glassed the opening and there they were way
across the field looking straight towards us. I could see the one on the right was the bigger of
the two. FC instructed me to get comfortable behind the log and use it for a rest. We watched
the expanse of the plains and stayed as quiet and motionless as possible. I checked the view
in my scope and saw that I had a clear shot on that bull. It seemed like a really far distance
between us, but in reality it was just over 200 Yds, well within my rifle/bullet range and my
comfort zone. I waited patiently for FC to confirm that this was the one to shoot. When he gave
the signal, I released the safety, took aim through the scope, used the log as a
steady rest and squeezed off a shot. At the muzzle sound I could see the bull was still
standing with blood coming from the wound. A heart/Lung shot. FC indicated it was a good
hit, so we waited as the bull walked slowly to the right and laid down about 50 yds from
where I hit him. The other bull, which was to his left and farther behind, took off at the report of
the rifle. My bull was still sitting upright. I chambered another round and looked over at FC
who was smiling and indicated that another shot was not necessary. In a short time the bull
rolled on its side and laid still. It was over for him. We paced off the distance to the spot where
the bull was standing at my shot and it measured just over 206yds. I approached my bull and
was elated at the great specimen that he was. Thick heavy bases and tips that swept back to
form that heart shape they are named for. It made me and my PH smile with delight.

We shook hands, took photos and waited for Punge to return with the truck. The lodge was not
too far a drive, so we loaded the bull, hopped in the back, and continued down to the the meat
locker where we unloaded the trophy to the skinners for preparation of meat and hide
and to fetch some back-straps for the meal our cook Johann was going to prepare that
evening.

All in all it was a great Spot and Stalk on a nice trophy that will be relived in my memory
for many moons to come. I could not have been more happy with the event’s of this hunt.

neckfred said:

Thanks everyone. This was my son's and my first hunt in SA. I have been doing a lot of reading on this forum and after hunting there I now understand why everyone wants to go back. We went way over our budget but it was well worth it. We hope to return within the next 5 yrs. I also got a 54 7/8" kudu. That was my best hunt and most memorable.

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FANTASTIC..a 54 and 7/8 " kudu first time up is really great. I live here and hunted for 30 years before I got 54" kudu.