Bakkie hunting

[Calle]

First time I went to SA 2006 I spent an awful lot of time at back of a Landrover.
Hour after hour we were driving around looking for animals.
I stayed 10 days and of that time I think I spent no more than four to five hours walking in the bush.
Since it was the first time in Africa I didn´t say much about it. I just sat on my back and rode along.

The PH never let me shoot from the car but the difference is minimal if you shoot at an animal with the car ten meters behind you.
I cant say I look at some of my trophies with pride. It wasn´t much hunting, just shooting.

Next time (2010) I went to Namibia and thought it might be better.
It was.
We didn´t spend that much time on top of a bakkie. We were aloud to walk and stalk a bit moore and the fences weren´t as high as in SA.

I remeber one night in SA after dinner.
I asked the PH about hunting on horseback and he just laughed at me and said that was "for cowboys and not the way we do it here".

I have read about Frederic C Selous and he spent a lot of time on horseback. On the other hand he might have done the same thing in a car if he had a bakkie available.

Next time I won´t spend one hour in a car.
If I cant find a horse I use my legs.
Then I can look at my trophie with some pride and think about all the effort I had to put in to get it.

 

[vgruan]

Calle,

I agree with you but a lot of people and outfitters in South Africa uses trucks mainly because the areas are so big and the best chances of finding good trophies is to cover as much ground as possible in a certain time. On our area it is possible to walk from the lodge but then you better be fit and ready to walk long ways over rolling hills and some thick brush. You will see a lot of animals and if you are not very specie spesific you will be able to get very good trophies. I like walking but still use the truck to get to certain areas on the hunting area where I know there is a lot more activity than other areas. We also use qaud bikes from time to time.

Just my2cents.

Jacques

P.S: If you buy the horse with your hunt I will have a horse waiting for you.. ;-)

 

[sestoppelman]

I dont have any problem with riding around looking for game by truck at all, thats how its been done for years. That is spot and stalk. I know a lot of guys will shoot from the truck as well but thats where I draw the line. And whether the truck is 10 feet behind or 10 miles behind doesnt matter as long as its behind me.

 

[James.Grage]

Calle

You should try Tanzania out if you are into hiking...

We would drive out in the dark and about 30 minutes prior the sun coming up away we would go looking for tracks...Some time we would walk the road ahead of the range rover and some time out into the bush...after a half day and not seeing any new track or animals we would head back to camp for lunch and rest and do it again in the afternoon...

I liked it best when we would spot some game about a mile or so away and then put the move on them...Just like Jacques was referring to...large area with little roads...use your brains and then your legs...

 

[vgruan]

I dont have any problem with riding around looking for game by truck at all, thats how its been done for years. That is spot and stalk. I know a lot of guys will shoot from the truck as well but thats where I draw the line. And whether the truck is 10 feet behind or 10 miles behind doesnt matter as long as its behind me.

Sestoppelman if the truck is a Land Rover you would want it in front of you so you can shoot at it because it broke down again.... hehe ;-) ( Im a HUGE Land Cruiser fan.)

 

[TOM]

I've never hunted a Bakkie.

 

[sestoppelman]

Jacques,

No Land Rover bashing now, I love those old things. I once had a Series IIA 109. While I am the first to admit it was a bit of a "shop car", it was maybe the neatest rig I ever owned. The Cruiser is, I also admit a much better vehicle.

While in the Okavango I got my feet wet while inside a Land Rover! Plowing thru the swamp with a snorkeled diesel the water was often in the cab with us. Great fun!

 

[enysse]

I feel a truck gets you to area you want to hunt. Sometime it's very smart to hunt on foot away from the roads. Other times when you are searching for a needle in a haystack you need to cover ground quickly to find animals. It all depends on how many animals a person wants to hunt. And what quality of animal they are will to shoot while on safari.

Yes, spot and stalk on foot is great fun!

 

[ThomasBeaham]

Hello Calle,
I'm sure there are several outfitters here that will be able to arrange a horse back safari for you.
One that comes to mind is AH member and sponsor CT SAFARIS (Chris Troskie)
Here is a link to more info: Hunt from horseback. Affordable African Hunting Safaris in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique
For full disclosure, I have not personally hunted with Chris but there are positive reports filed in the "South Africa Hunt Report" section by AH members on this site.

Ty

 

[Diamondhitch]

A truck (Bakkie) is simply a tool and like any tool should be used when appropriate and set aside when not. Simply driving around does nothing for me as well, However using this tool to access a distant area, move between lookouts for glassing, etc can greatly improve success. This is no different than hunting open county animals like pronghorn here. It is when this tool is overused that it becomes ineffective and unsporting.

Case in point, a truck is used to access a high lookout and game is spotted some distance away with binoculars or spotting scope, the truck is then used to get into a good position for a stalk well away from the animals in an area where they will not detect the vehicles approach and the rest of the stalk is done on foot or the animals are spotted close enough that the entire stalk is done on foot. This is exciting and sporting. The other side of this is the same animals are spotted from a lookout either a short or long distance away and the truck is used to get within shooting range and then the animal is shot from either in or near the vehicle. IMO This is culling at best, not unethical but not really hunting either, there is none of the excitement derived from pitting yourself against the far superior senses of your quarry and the satisfaction that comes from prevailing. When hunting thick cover there is no way to hunt from as vehicle as effectively as on foot, the exception of this is the elevation of the vehicle for spotting and shooting over brush. Having said this, if you have physical limitations or simply get your kicks from hunting from a vehicle then by all means dont let my rambling bother you. LOL

Another thing with hunting from a vehicle is that mature animals are often not nearly as dumb as we take them for. I have seen many whitetail bucks that feed on the edge of feilds in broad daylight, at the first sound of an approaching vehicle they casually walk just into cover then emerge after the vehicle passes. I also witnessed this in Africa, a particular old Wildebeest bull was spotted many times from a high vantage but was never there when we drove past the spot where he had been standing, the only time we caught him off guard was on the last evening right at dark when we popped out of a ravine that must have been hiding the sound of our approach. How many others did the same that we did not see from above? The plains always had less game when we drove across them than when we glassed.

When properly done (sneaking along instead of simply walking along hoping to bump into something) walking produces far more quality shots at game, quality meaning relaxed and controled shots at unalarmed animals doing what they do when we are not around. This is certainly a case of quality over quantity of sightings. By my math 10 animals that ran at the sight of you, 3 that stayed long enough to get a rest but not long enough to aim well and 1 rushed shot at a nervous animal about to flee is still less than 1 opportunity at a relaxed unaware animal from a controled position at your lesure. And I feel strongly that your odds of getting look let alone a shot at a wise mature animal on foot are far better as well. (I am speaking from North american experience here but the game is wired very similarly over there as here, I found that only Kudu and Warthog reacted as strongly to the sight of humans as our game does here)

There is the arguement against this that game spooked while walking spooks other game in the vacinity and ruins your hunt and riles up the game. Yes you will spook some game but is properly and stealthily hunting and making effort not to alarm game that you will not be pursuing will minimize it and will rile the game up no more that a vehicle.

I am way off the original topic here!!! LOL It is just a sore spot for me when I hear people say they improve their odds by 'covering more ground' in a vehicle. I hear that all the time here, usually from either those who dont really know how effective on foot can be when done well or those who are too lazy. Quality vs. quantity, 1,000,000 rotten apples are are a poor trade for 1 ripe juicy one.

Borrowed from Pat Parelli "If you sacrifice quality for quantity you end up with a bunch of junk!!!"

OK I will shut up now LOL

 

[Diamondhitch]

I forgot to mention that ThomasBeaham is right, Chris Troskie does offer some Horseback hunting. It is not true pack in hunting like here but it is an option in some areas for some species. I unfortunately did not end up hunting from horseback while with Chris but did hunt the area that he has the option of horseback hunting and it is gorgeous foothill country.

 

[ChrisT]

Hunting from Horseback

I remeber one night in SA after dinner.
I asked the PH about hunting on horseback and he just laughed at me and said that was "for cowboys and not the way we do it here".

Good day Calle,

Like Diamondhitch said - we do offer horseback hunting in South Africa. And it is certainly not for Cowboys... It appears there is a perception hunting from horseback means you need a lever action rifle and shoot at herds of Bison on the run. That is most certainly not the case.

We use horses purely as a means of transportation and to access areas that are unaccesible by vehicle. We don't shoot from horses (or even when we're close to them for that matter). But it is true that African game does not appear to be spooked by riders on horseback as what they are by moving vehicles or hunters on foot. We've had great success hunting this way...

Kind regards,

 

[Calle]

I understand and respect that we all have different expectations of a hunting safari.
For me, like most others, the shooting of an animal is the last part of a long rack of events.
From getting up before sunrise, freezing your but of while beeing transported to the area of the hunt, walking and stalking, avoiding spider web from wagonwheel spiders, looking for tracks, sitting on a rock drinking water in the hot sun, see an animal before the PH does, trying to get close enough, waiting , waiting and waiting for the right moment, feeling the pounding pulse in my chest, trying to see through sweat in the eyes and finally, maybe, letting the bullet leave the barrel of the rifle.
And if I don´t shoot still I had a good time trying.

Hunting is silence and using a horse for transportation instead of a diesel engine feels very, very tempting.

To day I'm 46 years old and still have two good legs to walk with.
I still want to hunt when I,m 76 but I,m not sure my legs will be walkable.
Guess I will be glad to find a good bakkie then.

Kindest regards to you all

 

[Diamondhitch]

I understand and respect that we all have different expectations of a hunting safari.
For me, like most others, the shooting of an animal is the last part of a long rack of events.
From getting up before sunrise, freezing your but of while beeing transported to the area of the hunt, walking and stalking, avoiding spider web from wagonwheel spiders, looking for tracks, sitting on a rock drinking water in the hot sun, see an animal before the PH does, trying to get close enough, waiting , waiting and waiting for the right moment, feeling the pounding pulse in my chest, trying to see through sweat in the eyes and finally, maybe, letting the bullet leave the barrel of the rifle.
And if I don´t shoot still I had a good time trying.

Hunting is silence and using a horse for transportation instead of a diesel engine feels very, very tempting.

To day I'm 46 years old and still have two good legs to walk with.
I still want to hunt when I,m 76 but I,m not sure my legs will be walkable.
Guess I will be glad to find a good bakkie then.

Kindest regards to you all

Agreed, some of my best and most memorable moments while hunting have been while no game was around, simply sitting high on a mountain with the whole world at my feet or simply watching a squirrel or some other critter go about his daily business.

The journey is the reward.

 

[Diamondhitch]

it is certainly not for Cowboys...

Come on Chris, cowboys want to go too! LOL JK

 

[ChrisT]

Correction

Diamondhitch you're absolutely right - of course Cowboys are welcome too. Didn't mean to exclude anyone folks. My sentence should have read "not ONLY for Cowboys"

Best

 

[andriesdeklerk]

www.bokpoortsafaris.com and www.witkopgameranch.co.za offer Horseback hunting as well.

 

[Sable123]

Revival!

This thread peaked my interest mainly because its very relevant to me at this time, especially with starting an Outfitters.
So I have a question for the hunter and one for the Outfitters.

To the hunter:

Have you ever not hunted with an Outfitter (please no need to mention names) because they lacked a hunting bakkie? And how high up on your list is the use of a hunting bakkie?

To the Outfitters:

Would you say one could not operate without a good hunting bakkie? If not, why?

By hunting bakkie, I don't mean any 4x4 vehicle, but the conventional open pick up with canvas bench seats on the back for viewing purposes.

Looking forward to receiving some feedback/opinions.

Take care
Jono

 

[CAustin]

Your not going to operate much without the truck as so many hunters expect there to be one to get from one place to another! I've shot from the truck and I've walked into the bush and stalked to get a better shit or a shit period. Frankly we have covered as much as 50 miles a day using a truck and we found the animals we were looking for.
I would not mind using a horse if it was a gentle animal, but the chance of getting thrown does not excite me!

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Sounds like you hunted with a Lazy PH the first time...
Personally I hate horses, they do come in quite handy for Leopard bait though, especially if you consider that you are saving fuel by riding it to the bait tree...

My best always