Roebuck
Member
Day five found us back at the mouth of the Great Kei River, this time to hunt my Nyala and a Zebra. Having spent the morning looking for a Nyala, with no success, we were about to commence a stalk towards a herd of Burchell’s Zebra. Suddenly, four Nyala bulls came over the crest of a hill, some seven hundred yards distant. We immediately commenced our stalk and at a distance of one hundred and eighty yards, I took a lovely Nyala bull that measured twenty-seven inches and dropped to the shot where he stood.
We then turned our attention to a zebra. We had already identified the animal I was to shoot, so it was just a matter of locating the correct herd. As luck would have it, we found him very quickly and stalked into the group to one hundred and twelve yards. I took the shot off the branch of a small thorn tree. The shot struck the zebra hard but zebras are tough animals. The shot zebra trotted off over the crest of a hill with the rest of his group with us in hot pursuit. We tracked what we thought was the shot animal for about another hour or so, amazed that he was able to keep so far ahead of us. At that point, we had to go back to the vehicle, to drive round and get above where we thought the zebra was. As we went back to the vehicle, we suddenly came across one very sick zebra. When he had moved off over the hill, he had put himself in a thorn thicket and we had been chasing one of two other zebras from the rest of the herd. We crept to one hundred and twenty four yards and I gave him his coup de grace.
Day six was our Bushbuck day. Since Iain had not managed to get a Black Springbok, he elected to take another Bushbuck instead. Arriving at the stalking ground, Iain and Andrew took off into some thick thorn bush and after a period of no more than twenty minutes, I heard Iain’s rifle fire. The result was this Cape Bushbuck.
Just after lunch, Andrew and I went off to find a Bushbuck for me. We were glassing across a valley and on the opposite side to us were several bushbuck ewes. On the premise that “Where there are girls there’ll be boys”, we kept glassing and finally picked up two Bushbuck rams. Andrew selected the larger of the two and we commenced our stalk. The ground cover on our side of the valley did not allow us to get closer that two hundred yards, so at that distance I adjusted my scope turret accordingly and dropped the bushbuck. He was a fine specimen with fifteen inch horns.
We were losing light by the time we had completed the photo session and we still had to get Iain another bushbuck. St. Hubertus was looking kindly on us and just as light was failing, Iain and Andrew located a fine ram, which will soon join the others on Iain’s wall.
Day seven saw us out for Warthog. Despite searching from early morning, it was 1400hrs before we spied a good Warthog boar, feeding some six hundred and fifty yards away. Andrew led me in to seventy yards from that boar and when I fired, he dropped where he stood. It is the best warthog I have shot and though by no means exceptional, his right tusk (broken at the end) measured ten and a half inches, whilst his left tusk was eleven and three quarters.
Day eight was Iain’s turn for a Warthog but though we spent the day searching, and saw several warthogs, the trophy eluded us and Iain is a warthog in credit for next year’s hunt.
Before returning to the Lodge, Andrew parked the Landcruiser on a hill, looking down to the Great Kei River. He pointed out a group of six Egyptian Geese (a real pest species), five standing on a rock and one in the water. He ranged them at five hundred and seventy four yards. He then said, “Let’s see what that fancy sight of yours can do. Shoot the one in the water.” I lay on the ground and using a short bipod, shot the goose. It was the longest shot I have ever taken on a live quarry. Mr. Kenton sure makes a great accessory for a fine scope. That’s one purchase I certainly do not regret making.
Our hunt being over, Iain and I spent two more days, relaxing, eating and drinking in East London,
View from hotel balcony
before flying back to Johannesburg, staying one night before flying home. No excess baggage charges this time. We took time to have a steak at the Butcher Shop and Grill, Sandton Mall, Johannesburg. The best steak restaurant I have ever been in. We missed Izak’s company.
The Butcher Shop and Grill
Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton Mall
The wine (I forgot to photograph the steak)
That’s it for this year, roll on next year. I think that Cape Buffalo may well be on the list, or is it Waterbuck, or maybe Sable, or could be Sittatunga, or maybe Puku………..
We then turned our attention to a zebra. We had already identified the animal I was to shoot, so it was just a matter of locating the correct herd. As luck would have it, we found him very quickly and stalked into the group to one hundred and twelve yards. I took the shot off the branch of a small thorn tree. The shot struck the zebra hard but zebras are tough animals. The shot zebra trotted off over the crest of a hill with the rest of his group with us in hot pursuit. We tracked what we thought was the shot animal for about another hour or so, amazed that he was able to keep so far ahead of us. At that point, we had to go back to the vehicle, to drive round and get above where we thought the zebra was. As we went back to the vehicle, we suddenly came across one very sick zebra. When he had moved off over the hill, he had put himself in a thorn thicket and we had been chasing one of two other zebras from the rest of the herd. We crept to one hundred and twenty four yards and I gave him his coup de grace.
Day six was our Bushbuck day. Since Iain had not managed to get a Black Springbok, he elected to take another Bushbuck instead. Arriving at the stalking ground, Iain and Andrew took off into some thick thorn bush and after a period of no more than twenty minutes, I heard Iain’s rifle fire. The result was this Cape Bushbuck.
Just after lunch, Andrew and I went off to find a Bushbuck for me. We were glassing across a valley and on the opposite side to us were several bushbuck ewes. On the premise that “Where there are girls there’ll be boys”, we kept glassing and finally picked up two Bushbuck rams. Andrew selected the larger of the two and we commenced our stalk. The ground cover on our side of the valley did not allow us to get closer that two hundred yards, so at that distance I adjusted my scope turret accordingly and dropped the bushbuck. He was a fine specimen with fifteen inch horns.
We were losing light by the time we had completed the photo session and we still had to get Iain another bushbuck. St. Hubertus was looking kindly on us and just as light was failing, Iain and Andrew located a fine ram, which will soon join the others on Iain’s wall.
Day seven saw us out for Warthog. Despite searching from early morning, it was 1400hrs before we spied a good Warthog boar, feeding some six hundred and fifty yards away. Andrew led me in to seventy yards from that boar and when I fired, he dropped where he stood. It is the best warthog I have shot and though by no means exceptional, his right tusk (broken at the end) measured ten and a half inches, whilst his left tusk was eleven and three quarters.
Day eight was Iain’s turn for a Warthog but though we spent the day searching, and saw several warthogs, the trophy eluded us and Iain is a warthog in credit for next year’s hunt.
Before returning to the Lodge, Andrew parked the Landcruiser on a hill, looking down to the Great Kei River. He pointed out a group of six Egyptian Geese (a real pest species), five standing on a rock and one in the water. He ranged them at five hundred and seventy four yards. He then said, “Let’s see what that fancy sight of yours can do. Shoot the one in the water.” I lay on the ground and using a short bipod, shot the goose. It was the longest shot I have ever taken on a live quarry. Mr. Kenton sure makes a great accessory for a fine scope. That’s one purchase I certainly do not regret making.
Our hunt being over, Iain and I spent two more days, relaxing, eating and drinking in East London,
View from hotel balcony
before flying back to Johannesburg, staying one night before flying home. No excess baggage charges this time. We took time to have a steak at the Butcher Shop and Grill, Sandton Mall, Johannesburg. The best steak restaurant I have ever been in. We missed Izak’s company.
The Butcher Shop and Grill
Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton Mall
The wine (I forgot to photograph the steak)
That’s it for this year, roll on next year. I think that Cape Buffalo may well be on the list, or is it Waterbuck, or maybe Sable, or could be Sittatunga, or maybe Puku………..
