SOUTH AFRICA: Wet Easter Weekend Getaway

[Frederik]

So, we didnt have plans for Easter weekend since we are going hunting on the 27th April to fill freezer and maybe get lucky on a set of horns or two.
Then my friend who's brother and father owns a 5500 acre farm close to Baltimore in Limpopo province invited us for a get together not really a hunt. He told my son Aaron he could hunt an impala on his account.
So we packed in the 375 H&H as the bush is thick planning onbly to hunt the ram and my friend Adriaan would hunt one too.

Even our two small dogs came along. Road trip !!!

Friday was the only sunny day so we got some sightseeing done and was hoping the weather would keep. The hunting would only be done early in the morning so that the afternoons could be kept for game drives and walks. That was the plan anyway.

View from the mountains.

The view was great from the top having two Black Eagles that was nesting nearby fly over us and seeing a huge kudu bull and his cows below.
The bushvled was green like paradise havent seen it that good in years.
Found good sets of fresh brown hyena tracks on top also and plenty of eland tracks there must be something that they enjoy on top as most of the other game was keeping to the lower sides and the flat areas.

Photos from the largest Baobab growing on the farm.

Almost full moon just before the sun set completely.

 

[VertigoBE]

This should be a great adventure ! Looking forward to the rest @Frederik!

 

[Frederik]

Part 2
So we enjoyed a good braai around the fire and went to bed to rsie early for the impala hunt.

At 11pm it started raining and didn't stop untill 5 am.

We got our gear and went out Adriaan dropped me and AAron off with one of the trackers William. We quickly spotted impala and off we went on the stalk wind was good and we spotted them going into the dirst tracks and moving back into the bush again.

Slowly going we finally heard them first then spotted them after a carefull stalk and getting flat on the ground and setting the shooting sticks to shoot from sitting position we waited for the rams which was a group of rams only. For one to present a proper shot finally after about 5 minutes we had a shooting lane and a ram that was standing broadside. The rams had no clus of use distance about 45 meters. At the shot the ram flew off at speed while the others were clueless and I coul have easily shot another. Think they thought it was thunder.

We waited a bit and two rams almost walked over us before spotting u and then we started looking for tracks and blood.
I asked Aaron about the shot and suddenly he realised he made a rookie mistake he shot for the white belly line jut behind the legs and not the line where the brown gets draker and lighter.
I blame it on teenage brain but it happens and its hunting.

Finally we found blood and tracks and it didnt look good was difficult to find anything between all the tracks of the group. We slowly kept on tracks lossing it often and saw that he was following the rest of the group so we couldn't just shoot if we saw an impala but had to indentify him first.

The blood showed water and some guts so the shot was bad as anticipatted and Aaron felt like a dog. They went to a nearby mountain where tracking got more difficult and me and the tracker helped each other to keep on the right track. We spotted an impala running off ahead of us and thought it was him but had to keep on the tracks then spotted the group ahead of us very calm.

Trying to indentify the wounded impala we came up with nothing all lookiing healthy and well. So the one that ran off must have been him. Then the rain came again and this time it wasn't soft but a proper doownpour and washed away all the tracks.

So we called Adriaan to collect the wet shivering bodies and headed back to camp/lodge.

About 10 minutes after Aaron shot his impala we heard a shot that connected far off it was Adriaan with a very big impala ram.

Ram measured just under Roland Ward.

Back at camp all the families had turns in making food and Adriaan made us some super pregro's.
I asked the skinners to keep the impalas liver for us one side.

Plan was to wait out the rain and then head off to the closest waterhole where we alost the tracks hoping to find a dead or sick ram close by. But with the cool wet weather there was no urge to drink water and over the couorse of the rest of the weekends we kept looking rain or not driving past.

So Saturday we didnt end up witg a proper game drive only to look for the wounded ram and me doing a tradtional Potjie that takes hours for the evening dinner.

Meat used for it was Kudu and springbuck and I made us snails for a starter.

5 hours later and it was good so they say. Got invited by Adriaans dad to come over again and do the same snail starter and potjie so I will take that as a compliment.

Sunday monring it looked wet but like the rain was easing off more and I went to look for an impala for myself I was actually looking for an impala ewe but they were hiding in the thickets from the cold.

Young wildebeest bull heading my way looking for his pals.

With it being cold and wet plus overcast almost drak we spotted the brown hyena twice once walking across the raod and bit later ahead of us in the road but jsut too fast to take a photo. He was on his routine walk to see what he could find on his route.

A while after the brown hyena I connected with a huge bodied impala ram later weighing in at the butcher at 42.5kg clean carcass only my heaviest impala to date. Previously 41kg.

As we found him 60 meters after double lung shot with the 375 range was about 60 meters when I took the shot.

Nice thick horns right to the top not so long around 19"

My Wife Charmaine came along when they collected me she doesnt appear in much of my hunting photos. She doenst mind it and she enjoys the meat but next week she said she will come with me on some stalks.

We headed back to camp and had a huge brunch of leftover potjie and fresh impala liver which I made. There was nothing left of the potjie and liver.

The young bunch went up for a walk up one of the mountains and weather kept only drizzling a little bit.
Zoomed in to take the photo.

Right on top a few specs.

Lamb ribs for Sunday night weather let us braai in peace.

Then below some random photos of the lorge camp and some night photos.

All in all a great getaway with family and friends.

 

[VertigoBE]

love the thick bases and horns on your ram @Frederik

Sad to hear about your son's impala, I'm sure he'll see it as a good lesson for future hunts.

You mention you prepared snails? Like French escargots?

In any case you have a lovely wife and good son it seems. Family quality time for sure!

 

[Frederik]

Ui, le escargot!!

Yes my son was very upset and kicking himself. It was an easy shot I just don't know why he aimed for the white belly line and so does he, but he did that is why I balme it on Teenage brain.

 

[VertigoBE]

Ui, le escargot!!

Yes my son was very upset and kicking himself. It was an easy shot I just don't know why he aimed for the white belly line and so does he, but he did that is why I balme it on Teenage brain.

Do not let him kick himself for too much, stuff happens.

And I have noticed this more than once for myself, and noted this from others, that a lot of thought and practice is given to placing a bullet perfectly in a one inch circle 100 meters away, but often I forget to think about anatomy, animal positioning etc. just laser focused on trying to be precise, but not necessarily focused on the right place on the animal.

 

[Frederik]

Next hunt 27th April then he will go after a bushbuck I'm sure he will do well and get it done when he get's a chance at a monster bushbuck.

 

[cpr0312]

Looks like a great time with family and friends! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AZDAVE]

A very nice family outing, looks like you all had a good time.

I am sure it is a lesson your son will take and not make again as he will be his toughest critic.

Have a great bushbuck hunt, they are a great animal and a good challenge.

 

[Nyati]

Seems like you all had a great time, congrats and thanks for sharing !

 

[Boela]

Congratulations on a great Impala my friend!!! You will have a tough time finding a 42kg Impala in the Zululand bush, I can assure you that.

My heart goes out to Aaron, we all know the feeling of wounding an animal all too well. I trust that the young man won't beat himself up too much.
What a privilege to have Charmaine with you. I trust that she will enjoy the stalk on your next hunt.

Keep us posted on your Bushbuck hunt, I am looking forward to read about your next adventure!

 

[R.M.C.]

Thanks for sharing! Keep the stories coming please lol