Final installment (continued from Part 2):
We departed early Thursday morning for the Eastern Cape, where we were to hunt mountain reedbuck. We arrived at Ribbokrant (Africaans for Reedbuck Ridge) at about noon, and were soon hiking the steep hills in search of reedbuck. Up we went, but saw only a female and youngster for our exertion. As evening fell, we found a good spot to descend and started down to see if we could find some warthogs on a pond in the flats below. We were nearly to the bottom when we jumped four reedbuck, one of which was a fine male. Much like a mule deer, the old boy stopped for one last look at 159 yards. Andrew whispered, “He’s a good one, take him,” so I did.
We still had half a day at Ribbokrant, so we decided to try some jackal calling in the morning before doing some herd management on the local blue wildebeest. On the second stand, I managed to call in a jackal, but he swung wide downwind and busted me before coming into range. From there, we made a large circle to get downwind of a likely location for wildebeest, then began our walk and stalk hunt. Andrew’s knowledge of the animals’ behavior was spot on, and he soon had us within 300 yards of a herd of about 30 blue wildebeest. Some more fancy footwork put us about 90 yards away from them, where we were able to identify an old cow (like I said, herd management). When she cleared the brush, I made an 86 yard off-hand shot to put her down. After taking care of the meat, I made a few more stands for jackals and/or caracals, but the wind was blowing quite hard by noon, so I called it off and hiked back to the house. We left Ribbokrant at about 2:30 and returned to Mervilla, where Gerhard and Wimpie were to pick me up. I was to spend the weekend, and remainder of my stay, with Gerhard in Pretoria.
After the long trip to Mervilla, and a nice dinner, Gerhard and Wimpie picked me up and we traveled to Pretoria. Having arrived quite late, we were a little slow the next day, but by 11:00 Gerhard and I were at the farm of an old family friend. We stationed ourselves in a blind between a harvested sunflower field and a farm pond waiting for pigeons. We shot for several hours before breaking for lunch in the field (fresh grilled pigeon breast and ostrich Russians, or sausages).
We gathered up all the birds and returned to the farmhouse to prepare for the night’s calling. South African law requires written permission from the landowner for hunting, so Gerhard and I drove to several farms to obtain it before finally starting the night’s hunt. We mounted the shooting chair in Gerhard’s truck, turning it into “The K-car,” and headed out.
We made our first stand just as it was getting really dark. Gerhard placed the speaker of his e-caller in an open field surrounded by heavy brush. He started with a locator call, and was immediately answered with a bark from the nearby brush. He switched to a distress cry, and within seconds whispered that he could see eyes. He centered the approaching jackal in the dimmed glow of his Lightforce so I could get it in the scope. When the jackal stopped, he said to take it. I tried, but missed! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif What is it with me and jackals? As the jackal hastily departed (and I cursed my poor shooting), Gerhard made barking sounds and it stopped for a last minute check on us. When she stopped this time, I made the shot count and was rewarded with the solid thump of bullet hitting flesh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif. The jackal went down, but then was back up. She ran about 30 yards and piled up again, this time for good. Amazingly, the little critter had run that far with no heart and jellied lungs. Though prettier than our coyotes, I think jackals smell worse! Here she is:
Luckily, we’d forgotten the Jackal [beeep], so we had to move on without a toast. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif We traveled a short distance and set up again in a harvested corn field. Gerhard placed the speaker while I got in the chair. We started with a locator sound again, and starting shining the light for approaching eyes. Shortly after we switched to the distress calls, we were lit up by another spotlight. Apparently the neighbor had gotten curious about our sounds and light and had come to investigate. Choosing to avoid a potential confrontation, we packed up our gear and moved on. Our next stand was also near a mowed corn field, but overlooked an open pasture and a small farm pond. Gerhard placed the speaker again, but before we could even start calling, a jackal began barking just a couple hundred yards downwind of us, alerting two others in the heavy brush we intended to call. Though we caught glimpses of the traitorous jackal, we were unable to get a shot. We knew the gig was up, so we moved on.
Next we drove to the farm on which Gerhard had called and shot his first jackal. We moved into a large pasture and set up in a likely spot with the wind in our favor. After about ten minutes of calling, Gerhard spotted eyes in the dimmed spotlight. I swiveled in the shooting chair so that my rifle pointed in the direction of spotlight. I located the eyes and got ready for a clear shot. This jackal had obviously been called before, and was attempting to get the wind in his nose before exposing himself. He nearly did it, but came into the open about 200 yards out. Gerhard lit him up and said “Take him,” which I did. We again heard the solid “whop” of the bullet impact, and again saw a rapidly departing jackal. Gerhard followed him with the light, and it appeared that he went down, so we headed in his direction. We found him about 50 yards from where he was hit, still very much alive. I was hesitant to blast him at close range with a 50 grain V-max, so Gerhard finished him with a neck shot from his .45. Upon inspection, we found that he was a large old male, so I decided to make a skull mount. Gerhard insisted upon removing the head himself, and I chose not to argue. WINK
Our final stands of the evening would be back on the farm where we’d shot pigeons. The first one we made between a harvested sunflower field and a large stand of dense trees. Gerhard had heard reports of caracals in the area, and we had our fingers crossed that we could call in Africa’s largest small cat. Swirling winds in the area put a stop to that plan though, so we moved on to a lower location near the pigeon pond. We hiked from the pond about a k (kilometer) and set up on a spot we’d scouted earlier in the day. I started calling quietly with a call (custom made by Gonhuntin, an old member of this board) of springbok horn. Twenty minutes of calling brought nothing, so Gerhard took a turn with his Weems. Within a few more minutes we spotted eyes approaching, but soon determined that it was a female duiker – a firm reminder that one must be especially careful to ID one’s quarry in Africa. The wind had switched directions on us numerous times, but we were enjoying the relatively mild weather and kept calling as an excuse to be outdoors. About 40 minutes into the stand we finally got a response. Two jackals howled from an estimated 2 k away. With the treacherous winds though, they refused to come in. Ten minutes later we called it a night and made a leisurely stroll back to the truck before going home.
We took the next day (Sunday) off from hunting. Instead we visited a local lake, a small zoo, did some shopping for the requisite African curios and souvenirs, and had a wonderful steak dinner. We made it an early night so we could sneak in some last-minute hunting the next day. I had to catch an evening flight, but Wimpie had made arrangements for me to hunt impala and/or warthogs on a farm about 1.5 hours away. We got an early start and hunted hard, but were unable to connect on either of our intended quarry in the short time we had remaining. Though no animals were taken, a half-day hunting was better than sitting around doing nothing. We made it back to Gerhard’s in time for a quick shower before saying goodbyes and going the airport. Wimpie and Gerhard dropped me off at about 5 pm, bringing to end my African predator, varmint, and plains game safari.
In closing, I’ll say that you’ll never find better guys to hunt with than Wimpie and Gerhard. They pulled out all the stops for me to ensure that the hunt was as successful as possible. I also want to thank Lochi for setting this up. Though he couldn’t guide me himself, he made many of the hunt’s arrangements and really made the effort to set me up with quality operations and well-experienced hunters. If you’re interested in some African varminting, you owe it to yourself to contact one or all of these guys. With a little planning and some saving, you can have an amazing vacation in South Africa hunting with the locals. Shoot these guys and email or PM and set something up, you won’t regret it.
Finally, if you’re interested in a more traditional plains game safari with some wingshooting, you need to contact Andrew McLaren Safaris. Andrew has access to some amazing country that is home to fine trophies. He will make sure that your hunting dollars and vacation time are well spent on some great experiences and wonderful trophies. I can’t say enough good things about Andrew and his lovely wife Cecilia. They were terrific hosts, and the accommodations and food were first class. Trust me when I say that you’ll want for nothing during a stay with Andrew McLaren Safaris. If you’re considering a plains game hunt in South Africa, send an email to Andrew and have him work up a custom safari for you. You will not be disappointed! As a teaser, this could be your home during a wonderful South African hunt:
I hope you enjoyed my account of hunting in South Africa. Feel free to PM or email me with questions, comments, suggestions, etc. And by all means, contact Andrew or Lochi to set up your own African Adventure!
We departed early Thursday morning for the Eastern Cape, where we were to hunt mountain reedbuck. We arrived at Ribbokrant (Africaans for Reedbuck Ridge) at about noon, and were soon hiking the steep hills in search of reedbuck. Up we went, but saw only a female and youngster for our exertion. As evening fell, we found a good spot to descend and started down to see if we could find some warthogs on a pond in the flats below. We were nearly to the bottom when we jumped four reedbuck, one of which was a fine male. Much like a mule deer, the old boy stopped for one last look at 159 yards. Andrew whispered, “He’s a good one, take him,” so I did.
We still had half a day at Ribbokrant, so we decided to try some jackal calling in the morning before doing some herd management on the local blue wildebeest. On the second stand, I managed to call in a jackal, but he swung wide downwind and busted me before coming into range. From there, we made a large circle to get downwind of a likely location for wildebeest, then began our walk and stalk hunt. Andrew’s knowledge of the animals’ behavior was spot on, and he soon had us within 300 yards of a herd of about 30 blue wildebeest. Some more fancy footwork put us about 90 yards away from them, where we were able to identify an old cow (like I said, herd management). When she cleared the brush, I made an 86 yard off-hand shot to put her down. After taking care of the meat, I made a few more stands for jackals and/or caracals, but the wind was blowing quite hard by noon, so I called it off and hiked back to the house. We left Ribbokrant at about 2:30 and returned to Mervilla, where Gerhard and Wimpie were to pick me up. I was to spend the weekend, and remainder of my stay, with Gerhard in Pretoria.
After the long trip to Mervilla, and a nice dinner, Gerhard and Wimpie picked me up and we traveled to Pretoria. Having arrived quite late, we were a little slow the next day, but by 11:00 Gerhard and I were at the farm of an old family friend. We stationed ourselves in a blind between a harvested sunflower field and a farm pond waiting for pigeons. We shot for several hours before breaking for lunch in the field (fresh grilled pigeon breast and ostrich Russians, or sausages).
We gathered up all the birds and returned to the farmhouse to prepare for the night’s calling. South African law requires written permission from the landowner for hunting, so Gerhard and I drove to several farms to obtain it before finally starting the night’s hunt. We mounted the shooting chair in Gerhard’s truck, turning it into “The K-car,” and headed out.
We made our first stand just as it was getting really dark. Gerhard placed the speaker of his e-caller in an open field surrounded by heavy brush. He started with a locator call, and was immediately answered with a bark from the nearby brush. He switched to a distress cry, and within seconds whispered that he could see eyes. He centered the approaching jackal in the dimmed glow of his Lightforce so I could get it in the scope. When the jackal stopped, he said to take it. I tried, but missed! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif What is it with me and jackals? As the jackal hastily departed (and I cursed my poor shooting), Gerhard made barking sounds and it stopped for a last minute check on us. When she stopped this time, I made the shot count and was rewarded with the solid thump of bullet hitting flesh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif. The jackal went down, but then was back up. She ran about 30 yards and piled up again, this time for good. Amazingly, the little critter had run that far with no heart and jellied lungs. Though prettier than our coyotes, I think jackals smell worse! Here she is:
Luckily, we’d forgotten the Jackal [beeep], so we had to move on without a toast. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif We traveled a short distance and set up again in a harvested corn field. Gerhard placed the speaker while I got in the chair. We started with a locator sound again, and starting shining the light for approaching eyes. Shortly after we switched to the distress calls, we were lit up by another spotlight. Apparently the neighbor had gotten curious about our sounds and light and had come to investigate. Choosing to avoid a potential confrontation, we packed up our gear and moved on. Our next stand was also near a mowed corn field, but overlooked an open pasture and a small farm pond. Gerhard placed the speaker again, but before we could even start calling, a jackal began barking just a couple hundred yards downwind of us, alerting two others in the heavy brush we intended to call. Though we caught glimpses of the traitorous jackal, we were unable to get a shot. We knew the gig was up, so we moved on.
Next we drove to the farm on which Gerhard had called and shot his first jackal. We moved into a large pasture and set up in a likely spot with the wind in our favor. After about ten minutes of calling, Gerhard spotted eyes in the dimmed spotlight. I swiveled in the shooting chair so that my rifle pointed in the direction of spotlight. I located the eyes and got ready for a clear shot. This jackal had obviously been called before, and was attempting to get the wind in his nose before exposing himself. He nearly did it, but came into the open about 200 yards out. Gerhard lit him up and said “Take him,” which I did. We again heard the solid “whop” of the bullet impact, and again saw a rapidly departing jackal. Gerhard followed him with the light, and it appeared that he went down, so we headed in his direction. We found him about 50 yards from where he was hit, still very much alive. I was hesitant to blast him at close range with a 50 grain V-max, so Gerhard finished him with a neck shot from his .45. Upon inspection, we found that he was a large old male, so I decided to make a skull mount. Gerhard insisted upon removing the head himself, and I chose not to argue. WINK
Our final stands of the evening would be back on the farm where we’d shot pigeons. The first one we made between a harvested sunflower field and a large stand of dense trees. Gerhard had heard reports of caracals in the area, and we had our fingers crossed that we could call in Africa’s largest small cat. Swirling winds in the area put a stop to that plan though, so we moved on to a lower location near the pigeon pond. We hiked from the pond about a k (kilometer) and set up on a spot we’d scouted earlier in the day. I started calling quietly with a call (custom made by Gonhuntin, an old member of this board) of springbok horn. Twenty minutes of calling brought nothing, so Gerhard took a turn with his Weems. Within a few more minutes we spotted eyes approaching, but soon determined that it was a female duiker – a firm reminder that one must be especially careful to ID one’s quarry in Africa. The wind had switched directions on us numerous times, but we were enjoying the relatively mild weather and kept calling as an excuse to be outdoors. About 40 minutes into the stand we finally got a response. Two jackals howled from an estimated 2 k away. With the treacherous winds though, they refused to come in. Ten minutes later we called it a night and made a leisurely stroll back to the truck before going home.
We took the next day (Sunday) off from hunting. Instead we visited a local lake, a small zoo, did some shopping for the requisite African curios and souvenirs, and had a wonderful steak dinner. We made it an early night so we could sneak in some last-minute hunting the next day. I had to catch an evening flight, but Wimpie had made arrangements for me to hunt impala and/or warthogs on a farm about 1.5 hours away. We got an early start and hunted hard, but were unable to connect on either of our intended quarry in the short time we had remaining. Though no animals were taken, a half-day hunting was better than sitting around doing nothing. We made it back to Gerhard’s in time for a quick shower before saying goodbyes and going the airport. Wimpie and Gerhard dropped me off at about 5 pm, bringing to end my African predator, varmint, and plains game safari.
In closing, I’ll say that you’ll never find better guys to hunt with than Wimpie and Gerhard. They pulled out all the stops for me to ensure that the hunt was as successful as possible. I also want to thank Lochi for setting this up. Though he couldn’t guide me himself, he made many of the hunt’s arrangements and really made the effort to set me up with quality operations and well-experienced hunters. If you’re interested in some African varminting, you owe it to yourself to contact one or all of these guys. With a little planning and some saving, you can have an amazing vacation in South Africa hunting with the locals. Shoot these guys and email or PM and set something up, you won’t regret it.
Finally, if you’re interested in a more traditional plains game safari with some wingshooting, you need to contact Andrew McLaren Safaris. Andrew has access to some amazing country that is home to fine trophies. He will make sure that your hunting dollars and vacation time are well spent on some great experiences and wonderful trophies. I can’t say enough good things about Andrew and his lovely wife Cecilia. They were terrific hosts, and the accommodations and food were first class. Trust me when I say that you’ll want for nothing during a stay with Andrew McLaren Safaris. If you’re considering a plains game hunt in South Africa, send an email to Andrew and have him work up a custom safari for you. You will not be disappointed! As a teaser, this could be your home during a wonderful South African hunt:
I hope you enjoyed my account of hunting in South Africa. Feel free to PM or email me with questions, comments, suggestions, etc. And by all means, contact Andrew or Lochi to set up your own African Adventure!
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