- Joined
- Feb 26, 2015
- Messages
- 7,184
- Reaction score
- 15,311
- Location
- Texas
- Website
- www.dorper.net
- Media
- 128
- Articles
- 15
- Member of
- NRA, Life SCI, Life DSC, Life EWA
- Hunted
- RSA, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Austria, Australia, TX, NM
The night after the caracal hunt was just a bit windy as we got ready to head out about dark. We were hoping to do some calling and see if we could be lucky enough to find a Serval. We had only been out about 15 minutes when we began seeing some eyes. A side striped jackal at some distance took notice of our call but didn't come very close so I took a shot. Missed..... We carried on and in no time there were eyes and I was ready after missing once. My PH Garth said he thinks its a Serval! Ok now I am keyed up and really ready. He gets the light on it and is examining it through his binos while I have my Leupold VXR right on it. I could tell it was a mature Serval before he gave the go ahead so bang, big cat down. After the congratulations we head on and in no more than a couple minutes we spot eyes that appear to be a cat of some kind. Garth had told me not to expect an African wildcat and that he had taken people for 10 days and not gotten one. Undeterred I was still hopeful this small cat might cross my path. As the small animal is snaking its way through short grass headed to very tall grass he says it may be an African wildcat. Ruger is off safety at this point and I am on go. It stops and looks back over its shoulder and he says yes it is...bang, little cat down. I said well crap I think I hit it in the head! We get the very large wildcat and thankfully I hit it in the neck and it was all ok. At this point we are really pleased and have done the cat trifecta in one day in the Free State. It is so early we carry on just to see what the night might still have in store for us. In no time at all a Cape Fox shows up and we call it into range. At this point I am taking whatever the night gives me and I make another good shot and take another really neat animal. We round out the night with another porcupine and call it a night. All done in the Free State we make plans to fly to the Eastern Cape.