May 20: Day 1 of hunt
The morning started with coffee in the room, followed by more coffee and breakfast in the lodge. Wik, Elise and I discussed the morning plans and then we met our two trackers, Mike and X. The term “tracker” does not really them justice as I came to learn they do a lot more than track. The track when needed, but both could also drive, spot, field dress and skin animals. They also carried the downed animals to the nearest road. To me, their biggest value on this hunt was spotting. Both Mike and X had top notch binoculars, Swarovski and Zeiss. Between the Wik, Mike and X, a lot of area could be glassed and they always found something worthwhile to look at. The last part of our hunt team was a friendly, Jack Russell that went by the name of Diesel. My daughter quickly spoiled the dog.
We loaded up and after a short 10 minute drive from the lodge, we parked and made a short hike to the edge of a cliff, maybe 70 or 80 feet high. Looking down into the valley and across at the opposite slope, we could glass a lot of area. The morning sun was shining on the opposite slope, so the animals actually stood out a bit in the brilliant sunshine. I saw more Kudu bulls during this first morning than I’ve seen on my three prior African safaris. We were definitely in Kudu Country!
During this first day, we did a lot of walking. Not too difficult, as most was on dirt roads, game trails and some picking our way through the bush. We came back to the lodge midday and had lunch and a nap. We went back out for the afternoon about 3 pm. It got dark about 5:30 pm, so the afternoon hunt was short. One of the things we had working against us was a big, bright full moon with clear skies. Day 1 ended with no shots fired, but we saw lots of Kudu, Nyala and Waterbuck. We knew we were in a good spot.
The evening routine was a lot of fun too. Drinks at the bar, with plenty of snacks. Rugby on the big screen TV, a nice fire out on the patio and lots of friendly conversation. Followed by a large, multi-course meal which usually featured a variety of game meat, sausage, beef or chicken, several side dishes and build your own green salad with lots fresh veggie options. If you had room, then there was dessert.
May 21: Day 2 of hunt
We loaded up and drove 30 mins to another property. The routine was much the same as day 1. After a short hike to a high vantage point, we glassed the area. Late morning, a good Kudu bull with some cows was spotted down low in a dry river bed. We started through the bush to try to get closer. We got to within about 150 yards of the Kudu bull, but I had to get on the sticks and shoot quickly, as the Kudu must have seen or smelled us and was getting ready to run. I shot and missed high. A clean miss from about 150 yards. I was pretty disappointed. So ended Day 2 and nothing on the salt yet. Not too concerned, since we still had lots of days ahead of us and we were seeing lots of game.
May 22: Day 3 of hunt and my birthday
Maybe my luck will change today. We were back hunting Kudu Ridge Reserve, the main property with the lodge. We hunted a different area than we did on Day 1. After a bit of glassing, a Nyala bull was spotted at a little after 8am. We closed the distance a bit and quietly got on the sticks. The Nyala was only partially visible, just the back half. I adjusted the sticks a bit and got very comfortable and stable. We all watch the Nyala for several minutes and it remained calm and never knew we were there. Wik let me know the yardage was 150. It finally turned and exposed its right side to me and I squeeze off a shot. Everyone was watching through their binoculars and said it was a good shot and the Nyala went down. However, after the dust settle, we couldn’t see it in the small clearing where it had been standing. So the trackers, Mike and X, along with Diesel, made their way to the clearing while we stayed put. A few minutes later they were at the spot and reported lots of blood and found the bull only 20 yards away.
Unlike my hunts in Namibia and Zimbabwe, where the ground was flat and bush not too thick, the terrain here is steep and the bush is thick. This means you can’t drive the bakkie right up to your animal. The trackers now displayed another part of their expertise. A strong wooden pole on the Cruiser was brought in and used to carry the whole animal out to a clearing for photos. Wik with through a lot of time and effort to pose the animal and all of us, to get a lot of good photos. He explained that not all hunters mount all their animals, so the photos become that lasting memories of the hunt. It’s important to get good photos and with digital cameras, you can spend the time and take lots of photos.
One other interesting thing to note: Animals would be partially field dressed and the stomach was emptied and place in a plastic bag. The trackers and their families would dine on tripe tonight, considered a delicacy in their culture. Watching them empty the stomach reminded me of empty a grass catch on a lawn mower, after mowing wet grass.
Around noon time, we headed back to the lodge for lunch. But before we got there, a Burchell’s Zebra was spotted. Elise took a Hartmann or mountain Zebra last year in Namibia and is having that shoulder mounted. She needed another for a rug. After a quick stalk, she was about 100 yards away. I was watching through the binoculars when she shot. It looked good, maybe a little too far back, but a good shot. The Zebra ran about 60 yards, into the thick bush and across a small creek. Another one shot kill and our second animal for the day.
After lunch and a nap, we were off for the afternoon. Wik quickly spotted numerous Kudu bulls and with a short stalk, I was on the sticks again. This was going to be a longer shot, about 220 yards, but it was one of those slow, relaxed shot opportunities. Adjust the sticks a bit, watch the Kudu bull for several minutes and then take the shot. A good hit, but the Kudu ran and we couldn’t see it. It was almost a repeat of the Nyala. The trackers went to the spot where I shot it, found lots of blood and let Diesel go. The Kudu went about 100 yards but was down. The third, one shot kill for the day and a birthday double for me.
Wik called for a few more trackers to come help carry out the big Kudu. Photos, get the tripe and load the animal into the bakkie.
The cold beers around the warm fire were especially nice at the end of this day. But there was one more surprise. After dinner, Lynn brought out not one, but two birthday cakes. My daughter made a comment about not being able to fit all the candles on one cake. Regardless, it was a very nice surprise and a nice ending to a birthday I won’t forget.
With 3 days of hunting complete, we had 3 very nice trophies and already a lot of great memories. We still had 7 more days to go, so at this point we were all feeling pretty good.
