davidhein
AH veteran
It had been months of planning. We have a property near Northam in the Limpopo Province that has blown up with giraffe the last few years. It i not something we thought we would hunt, but they have just got a bit out of control, with some 15 giraffe on the +/- 400 hectare property. We had recently brought in a new bull to counteract some in breeding and thus two of the old, current bulls had to make way.
This would be the first time we hunt giraffe on the property and planning was crucial, especially for the post-shot process.
With the help of some friends we were able to ensure the team was setup for success. Our friends were geared with the correct loading equipment and we had organised the local taxidermist to come out and help with the slaughter and skinning process - something that I am now grateful for!
Hunting:
Bull 1:
The morning started early, with a warm cup of coffee, a buttermilk rusk, a fire, and talks and plans for the day. It was a crisp morning, but forecasts said that it would really heat up in the afternoon!
As I am obviously familiar with our property I had a good idea of where the giraffe would be. And I was right - except for one massive problem. Neither of the two bulls were with them. So back to the drawing board.
We headed up to the mountain where we have a lookout point, and there he was, I was certain of it. We took drove the vehicle to the edge of that block, and started scouting with little success through the brush. And thats when his head appeared. He peeked at us over the bush from about 50 metres. He did a mighty fine job of hiding his vitals!
I was super comfortable with the rifle (9.3 x 62 which I have had years and years of practice on). I discussed with the others and agreed to take on the headshot. And at that moment the bull decided that was no longer on either. After a few minutes of repositioning I felt comfortable and took the shot. He collapsed in a heap right on the spot! My first ever giraffe down.
Now for the loading process - which is quite a story in itself! This bull filled the entire Cruiser - but luckily the guys were prepared, and with a double winch (one for the back legs and the other for the neck), we loaded the giraffe in.
Bull 2:
With the skinning team ready the first bull was already being processed when we headed back up the mountain to take another look around. This time we weren't so lucky and could only spot a group of cows.
Where it got tricky now was that we were after one very specific old bull, one that I knew well. He had a massive attitude, and I knew if we could find him we would have a shot. Before we left one of the guys called over and said he sees a big giraffe. It was FAR off - about 1,2km - but with his scope we could see it, even if barely. It was still to far to make an actual call, but it was worth going after and looking.
We drove to an area that we though was nearby and started moving slowly through the brush. It was't long when we spotted the first giraffe. After carefully scanning we could count - one-two-and thats him! The stalk was on!
We were only about 80 metres off, but had no chance through the brush and moved in closer, creeping slowly. And then for no reason the bull ran, but we moved too, running with him. He obviously did not startle as he only ran about 30 metres before stopping dead.
I had only one shot, right on his chest, a perfect broadside opportunity. I lifted the rifle, picked my spot, and squeezed - BOOM! The shot was definitely hit, but he did not even looked startled. I fired another one, catching him in the run, and my friend also fired two, catching him with one.
We followed up quickly, running after him as we were't sure where the shot had hit. As we rounded a corner he was already down. I decided to give him a coup de grace shot, and aimed between the eye and ear, going up about an inch, and that was that.
Handshakes all around, and two giraffe down before 11AM. The skinning team had just finished on bull 1 when they arrived. They decided that this bull was too large to load up and skinned him in the veld.
Lots of character on this old bull! He has seen his fair share of fights, including a broken "horn".
After some investigation my first shot was actually perfect and had hit the bull in the heart - the rest were assurance shots, because you never know. The most surprising thing for me was how tough these animals are. Even after all the reading and studying, I was still not expecting this...
I must thank everyone that was involved. Especially the team from Tragelaphus Taxidermy - I have never worked with them before, but Kappie and his team slaughtered the giraffe in 50 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes respectively, and will also be tanning the skins and doing the shoulder mount on the second bull.
To my all my friends and family that joined, thank you as well! All the extra eyes were a massive advantage, and of course I wouldn't want to have done it any other way than with all of you at the farm too.
That concludes my personal hunting for the year. I will still be filming a bow hunt in Botswana later in October and also a rifle hunt in November too for clients. But who knows, maybe an animal or two may still be in the salt before year end...
This would be the first time we hunt giraffe on the property and planning was crucial, especially for the post-shot process.
With the help of some friends we were able to ensure the team was setup for success. Our friends were geared with the correct loading equipment and we had organised the local taxidermist to come out and help with the slaughter and skinning process - something that I am now grateful for!
Hunting:
Bull 1:
The morning started early, with a warm cup of coffee, a buttermilk rusk, a fire, and talks and plans for the day. It was a crisp morning, but forecasts said that it would really heat up in the afternoon!
As I am obviously familiar with our property I had a good idea of where the giraffe would be. And I was right - except for one massive problem. Neither of the two bulls were with them. So back to the drawing board.
We headed up to the mountain where we have a lookout point, and there he was, I was certain of it. We took drove the vehicle to the edge of that block, and started scouting with little success through the brush. And thats when his head appeared. He peeked at us over the bush from about 50 metres. He did a mighty fine job of hiding his vitals!
I was super comfortable with the rifle (9.3 x 62 which I have had years and years of practice on). I discussed with the others and agreed to take on the headshot. And at that moment the bull decided that was no longer on either. After a few minutes of repositioning I felt comfortable and took the shot. He collapsed in a heap right on the spot! My first ever giraffe down.
Now for the loading process - which is quite a story in itself! This bull filled the entire Cruiser - but luckily the guys were prepared, and with a double winch (one for the back legs and the other for the neck), we loaded the giraffe in.
Bull 2:
With the skinning team ready the first bull was already being processed when we headed back up the mountain to take another look around. This time we weren't so lucky and could only spot a group of cows.
Where it got tricky now was that we were after one very specific old bull, one that I knew well. He had a massive attitude, and I knew if we could find him we would have a shot. Before we left one of the guys called over and said he sees a big giraffe. It was FAR off - about 1,2km - but with his scope we could see it, even if barely. It was still to far to make an actual call, but it was worth going after and looking.
We drove to an area that we though was nearby and started moving slowly through the brush. It was't long when we spotted the first giraffe. After carefully scanning we could count - one-two-and thats him! The stalk was on!
We were only about 80 metres off, but had no chance through the brush and moved in closer, creeping slowly. And then for no reason the bull ran, but we moved too, running with him. He obviously did not startle as he only ran about 30 metres before stopping dead.
I had only one shot, right on his chest, a perfect broadside opportunity. I lifted the rifle, picked my spot, and squeezed - BOOM! The shot was definitely hit, but he did not even looked startled. I fired another one, catching him in the run, and my friend also fired two, catching him with one.
We followed up quickly, running after him as we were't sure where the shot had hit. As we rounded a corner he was already down. I decided to give him a coup de grace shot, and aimed between the eye and ear, going up about an inch, and that was that.
Handshakes all around, and two giraffe down before 11AM. The skinning team had just finished on bull 1 when they arrived. They decided that this bull was too large to load up and skinned him in the veld.
Lots of character on this old bull! He has seen his fair share of fights, including a broken "horn".
After some investigation my first shot was actually perfect and had hit the bull in the heart - the rest were assurance shots, because you never know. The most surprising thing for me was how tough these animals are. Even after all the reading and studying, I was still not expecting this...
I must thank everyone that was involved. Especially the team from Tragelaphus Taxidermy - I have never worked with them before, but Kappie and his team slaughtered the giraffe in 50 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes respectively, and will also be tanning the skins and doing the shoulder mount on the second bull.
To my all my friends and family that joined, thank you as well! All the extra eyes were a massive advantage, and of course I wouldn't want to have done it any other way than with all of you at the farm too.
That concludes my personal hunting for the year. I will still be filming a bow hunt in Botswana later in October and also a rifle hunt in November too for clients. But who knows, maybe an animal or two may still be in the salt before year end...
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