Roebuck
Member
It has been a good while since I have posted on the forum. I often thought that I must get back on the forum but I guess there has been a lack of “round tuits” though I have been a bit busy with eight months of consultancy work in the oil & gas industry that took me from China to Argentina, so there was not much time for hunting or for browsing the hunting forums.
In April, 2009, Iain and I had our usual trip to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, ostensibly to hunt a trophy waterbuck, but the usual side trip to the wineries around Franschhoek and Stellenbosch was undertaken too.
In our favourite little Franschhoek bar and restaurant, the owner, Taki, showed us the biggest avocados we had ever seen!
We also had a little side trip to Durban, where I wanted to visit the Fitzsimons Snake Park, in Durban. When we got there it had moved to Zululand and our trip resulted in a wasted weekend!! We did get to see Shark World and there were a couple of snakes on show there. Here are a couple of specimens to avoid whilst hunting.
Puff Adder (Bitis arietans), a fat lazy snake with highly cytotoxic venom, that relies on its camouflage and won’t move off. Do try to avoid.
Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus), this fellow will move off if disturbed but will hood up and may spit its dangerous neurotoxic venom. Hoods up like a cobra but is not a true cobra. He may play dead. Avoid him too!!
My friend and riflesmith, Mike Norris, had made me a 7mm Rem Mag for this hunt. Based on a Remington 700 action, it has a Pacnor fluted barrel, Jewel Trigger and a McMillan Lazzeroni Thumbhole Stock, with an ASE Jet Z Moderator. It is topped with a Night Force NXS 5.5 – 22 x 50 scope and it was to be christened on the waterbuck.
When the waterbuck were located, a circuitous stalking route had to be undertaken to put us in the place where the shot of 120 yards could be taken on a fine twenty seven inch bull. A 140gn Nosler Partition at 3150ft/sec dropped the waterbuck where it stood. Although certain that it was dead, I observed the animal for a short while, “just in case”. Here is the rifle:
Here is the Waterbuck:
Iain got one too.
This was to be the last hunt I would make with the outfitter I have represented for a number of years, as commercial and business ethic differences made it impossible for us to continue working together. However, that made no difference to the quality or enjoyment of, the waterbuck hunt.
The outfitter I now work with is called Nduna Hunting Safaris and during a visit this November, to Nduna Lodge, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, I, along with my hunting companion Iain, was invited by Nduna's owner, Gavin Ingram, to accompany him to visit his friend Clint, who owns a game farm not far from Nduna Hunting Safaris.
Clint left, Gavin right:
Clint is currently working on a Black Impala breeding program. The section of land reserved for this project had been invaded by three common impala rams, all of breeding age. Not wanting these intruding rams to interfere with the project, by breeding with the ewes, Clint invited us to take the intruders out. Iain and I were, of course, delighted to be able to help and so late that afternoon, Gavin took Iain on a difficult stalk down a steep, fynbos covered hillside, to some two hundred yards from a group of impala ewes, on the periphery of which stood two of the intruding common impala rams. Observing the stalk through my binoculars from the top of the hill, I watched as Gavin set up his sticks and Iain positioned his Dumoulin .30-06, topped with a Zeiss scope, preparing for the shot. Iain dropped one of the target rams with his first shot, at which the group scattered. The second ram stopped to look back and in the few seconds the ram stood still, Iain dropped him with his second shot.
Iain with the two rams:
Early the following morning, Gavin led me into another group of impala ewes. A short distance away from the group of ewes stood the third intruding ram. A careful stalk brought us to 130 yards from the ram. Bringing up my 7mm Rem Mag, I carefully settled the dot of the Night Force scope on the ram. I fired and the ram dropped where it stood.
Gavin with the ram:
The Ram:
In April, 2009, Iain and I had our usual trip to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, ostensibly to hunt a trophy waterbuck, but the usual side trip to the wineries around Franschhoek and Stellenbosch was undertaken too.
In our favourite little Franschhoek bar and restaurant, the owner, Taki, showed us the biggest avocados we had ever seen!
We also had a little side trip to Durban, where I wanted to visit the Fitzsimons Snake Park, in Durban. When we got there it had moved to Zululand and our trip resulted in a wasted weekend!! We did get to see Shark World and there were a couple of snakes on show there. Here are a couple of specimens to avoid whilst hunting.
Puff Adder (Bitis arietans), a fat lazy snake with highly cytotoxic venom, that relies on its camouflage and won’t move off. Do try to avoid.
Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus), this fellow will move off if disturbed but will hood up and may spit its dangerous neurotoxic venom. Hoods up like a cobra but is not a true cobra. He may play dead. Avoid him too!!
My friend and riflesmith, Mike Norris, had made me a 7mm Rem Mag for this hunt. Based on a Remington 700 action, it has a Pacnor fluted barrel, Jewel Trigger and a McMillan Lazzeroni Thumbhole Stock, with an ASE Jet Z Moderator. It is topped with a Night Force NXS 5.5 – 22 x 50 scope and it was to be christened on the waterbuck.
When the waterbuck were located, a circuitous stalking route had to be undertaken to put us in the place where the shot of 120 yards could be taken on a fine twenty seven inch bull. A 140gn Nosler Partition at 3150ft/sec dropped the waterbuck where it stood. Although certain that it was dead, I observed the animal for a short while, “just in case”. Here is the rifle:
Here is the Waterbuck:
Iain got one too.
This was to be the last hunt I would make with the outfitter I have represented for a number of years, as commercial and business ethic differences made it impossible for us to continue working together. However, that made no difference to the quality or enjoyment of, the waterbuck hunt.
The outfitter I now work with is called Nduna Hunting Safaris and during a visit this November, to Nduna Lodge, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, I, along with my hunting companion Iain, was invited by Nduna's owner, Gavin Ingram, to accompany him to visit his friend Clint, who owns a game farm not far from Nduna Hunting Safaris.
Clint left, Gavin right:
Clint is currently working on a Black Impala breeding program. The section of land reserved for this project had been invaded by three common impala rams, all of breeding age. Not wanting these intruding rams to interfere with the project, by breeding with the ewes, Clint invited us to take the intruders out. Iain and I were, of course, delighted to be able to help and so late that afternoon, Gavin took Iain on a difficult stalk down a steep, fynbos covered hillside, to some two hundred yards from a group of impala ewes, on the periphery of which stood two of the intruding common impala rams. Observing the stalk through my binoculars from the top of the hill, I watched as Gavin set up his sticks and Iain positioned his Dumoulin .30-06, topped with a Zeiss scope, preparing for the shot. Iain dropped one of the target rams with his first shot, at which the group scattered. The second ram stopped to look back and in the few seconds the ram stood still, Iain dropped him with his second shot.
Iain with the two rams:
Early the following morning, Gavin led me into another group of impala ewes. A short distance away from the group of ewes stood the third intruding ram. A careful stalk brought us to 130 yards from the ram. Bringing up my 7mm Rem Mag, I carefully settled the dot of the Night Force scope on the ram. I fired and the ram dropped where it stood.
Gavin with the ram:
The Ram:
