SOUTH AFRICA: RIFLE: BOWHUNT: My Trip

Devin Twitty

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So I just got back from my hunt with boss safari. We hunted in the northwest territory. Had 5 days to hunt and took 11 animals. 3 impala, 1 blesbuck, 1 warthog, 5 zebra, and a jackel. First two days we hunted blinds mostly to try and get a big impala.
First day I spent in a blind and shot a zebra. 5 zebra came in around 3:00pm and it was a waiting game to get a clear shot. I pull my bow up draw and get a slight quartering toward shot and my arrow hit it's mark from 20 yards almost a complete pass thurs but the Fletch held on offside and the arrow fell free right as the zebra hit the trees. We hard it crash and got out of the blind to find the arrow only to spot the zebra laying maybe 50 yards from where it was hit. The arrow broke two ribs both lungs and the top of the heart.

Day two started in a new blind where we had saw some nice blesbuck the night before. We where in the blind a hr and looked out to see a white blesbuck had slipped on and layed down 20 yards away. Got the bow ready and here came a bukkie(truck) and the blesbuck walked in to the brush. We stayed put with not much moving tell about 11 and a big impala ram came in. I grabbed my bow again but dropped my quiver making a loud noise and amazingly the impala didn't care. I got my arrow nocked got my bow back and the ram turns to give me a good shot at 17 yards. Once again the arrow finds it mark and the impala bolts out of view. We waited 20 min get out find the arrow laying 30 yards passed and it's covered in good blood but as we searched we found no blood trail and had no idea which we the impala went after leaving our sight. We call in the land cruiser to get a higher view point and drove all over the thick under brush. We turned around and headed back to the blind to rethink the shot and look at the video when I see the impala laying in a dead snag not 50 yards from the hit.

We decided to try spot and stalk on the blesbuck. We set out after luck on day two to find a bless buck only to be busted time and time again. The wind just would not settle. So the day ended with 7 stalks and no shot.

Day three started with us out after the blesbuck again. We spot a old white ram 40 yards off the trail. So we back up and get out into the brush only to run into impala and get busted. So we go back to the bukkie and drive to a open area by water and see a big common and white ram. We grab the bow and start out to ambush them. After going 100 yards in the brush we see the white ram walk out and lay down 52 yards away facing us of course. So we work the shadows but he caught me moving and a water buck winded us and we where busted again.
So on we go to look for another group with the same outcome all day. Impala water buck, warthog, other blesbuck all catching us and off they ram goes.
We saw a zebra herd on the way back to dinner and manage at 32 yard shot or so we thought. I shoot and the arrow goes low and cuts the front leg. Now it was time to get the rifle so we could put the zebra down fast. And sure enough with in 15 min we had the zebra at 80 yards and the 3006 spoke down it went.

Day four starts with us going out for blesbuck. We set out and see our white friends and get busted yet again by a impala in the brush. So we run down the road to look for a nice common blesbuck ram. And find him we get out seek in to 60 yards and here comes a sable bull running full steam through the blesbuck herd sending them every direction. We sit there trying to figure out what to do and decide to keep moving down to the water hole. We just get in to some heavy thorns and I see a common standing not 50 yards away in a small clear area. So we start a stalk and a steenbuck jumps out 20 yards away. Luck for us it made us look an see a ram 42 yards away. After look him over I decided he was decent enough to shot after 2 days of hard hunting. The ram puts it's head down I step clear of the Bush the ph ranged him 42 yards I pull down on him put my 40 pin the sweet spot then stop and think these are fast so I put the pin at his lower body line and the release goes off. The blesbuck sure as the sun ducked ending in my arrow hitting the from leg bone breaking it and going right through the heart like I had thought. He spins with the arrow sticking 3/4s out the other side and goes maybe 10 yards and falls.
More to come.
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That is better than 2 animals per day! With a bow. Wow. You had a great time. Nice looking animals Congrats. Bruce
 
Yea some i took with a rifle but the bow did a lot of work. The ph said for him I set some records lol. Got a few comments about how he was impressed that I could shoot. Guess a lot of people throw stuff together and go with no ability.
 
Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 
You did really well on your safari sir! Congrats!
 
Good job by you and your Ph.
 
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Ok continue the 4th day with us heading out for the last animals. We come across a sick impala and where told to shoot it if we see it again. I was out looking for another nice impala with a rifle spot and stalk. We drove a while and started hitting the thick Bush with the truck looking and we found a nice ram. We Ended up losing the impala but cam up on a nice zebra that I took at 100yards with the rifle, the shot was a perfect lung/heart shot and it went 50 yards and was done, we load it up and the Skinner is bust now lol. We head back out at about 2pm to the same area and see another nice ram so we start after it Ended up taking it at 40 yards with the 3006 quartering away. After we get the impala back to the Skinner it was back for pig and zebra. We had no luck getting a shot on anything so we run to a spot that the pigs come in to eat feed for some birds but had no luck.

5th day we are out for pig and the last zebra. After check a few places we run to a nice grass opening and i see a jackel run out. The ph hands the 3006 out and i see the jackel stop behind a bush at 100 yards and i shoot dropping it, we run him in to the skinner and back out we go and we get on some zebra and follow them around for a while and I get a shot at one. Get on the sticks and the 3006 goes off but hear no thump and they take off. Then it's o crap load farther then 100yards I shot it for. Ended up being 250 yards and I had put the cross hairs low on the body to begin with but we searched and even called in a plane to look for the herd. All 13 zebra where good no blood no nothing so we spend a long time (last two days watching the herd and call it a miss). After we call the plane we head to lunch and coming back out I spot pigs on the edge of a field and we manage a shot on a nice tusker. The shot ended up being a little back and he goes under a fence in to the tall grass and we persue hopping he doesnt make a hole and disappear. The blood trail was good then nothing and we spent the next hr trailing the blood as the plane is watching the zebra. I end up tracking the pig and find it laying down probly only 300 yards from where he was hit but he did all sorts of circles, and zigzag all over which made the blood tracking take for ever. I put a 3006 round in him to be sure and I had my big pig for the area.
After the warthog was in we head out for the zebra without finding anyblood etc we head back to relax and come on the sick impala again so we get ready grab the bow get a good clear shot and all the time the impala shows no signs of getting up and just keeps it's head down. We watch it for a few min and decide he isn't really well and I let a arrow go at 32 yards and it hit it's Mark on the laying impala, the impala gets up and kind of runs. We walk up a little and I can see it laying probly 40 yards away. So we put the ph young dog on blood to train it and he finds it. So we are done for the day and back to camp.

Final day to hunt and it's zebra all day. After searching for a hit zebra we see a group and end up dropping me off with the 3006 and sticks in a small clearing and the ph takes the bukkie in to the thick and drove the zebras out into the clear. They stop at about 100 yards and I put a round in one down it goes. Load it up and get it in then back out and we find the herd from the day before a he before dark. We get 170 yards from them and I see the big one again sending a round at it only to hit and it runs. No blood again to track be the ph said he though he saw the hit and blood on it. We track the herd and watch but see none are bleeding. So back to tracking and where I shot it. We spent well in to the night searching nothing. Next morning on the day I'm leave we head out with 10 people looking and after 4 hrs nothing. I had to get to the airport so the ph and me head out leaving everyone searching. And that's how the hunt ends they are flying the plane again today still looking for it. Was a great trip for sure but didn't quite end as I'd liked but they are still looking for me. Had a he'll of a good bow hunt for sure. Boss Safaris was great and they have been a pleasure to work with
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Nice work! Congrats on all your animals- sounds like great fun.
 
Well after the plane has been out and ph has looked everyday no zebras where hit everyone in the herd is looking healthy. Can't believe it but the gun was not 100%to me either. O have gone out since here in the usa and recreated the shot and my 3006 is putting in a 1"group or a mono pod standing at 175yards. At least there isn't a hurt animal running around, always hate to see them suffer.
 
Good news on the lost animal front.
Oh well, misses happen.

Thanks for sharing your hunt.
 
Congrats on your hunt and thanks for sharing !
 
Can't wait to see if I can go back some day. Was an amazing time for sure.
 
Thanks for the great report and congrats on a successful hunt.
 
Hey Devin,

Thank you for your kind words, we look forward to having you back sometime!
 
Congrats! Nice animals! Love the tusks on that warthog!
 

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