Jeff and Dana: Day 7, morning
(Tuesday, 24/7/2018)
*Alarm going off*
It was getting easier to get up now as the hunt seems to have gotten over a rough patch and things are starting to happen.
At breakfast we decided we were going to head out and try to find an elusive Bushbuck. We loaded up and off we went down the road. I expressed to Mike my concerns about where my rifle was hitting as opposed to where I was aiming.
He looked at me and we altered our plan almost instantly. He said, we are going to shoot your gun and see exactly where it's hitting. You're obviously not confident with it and we have got to fix that! We veered left and headed to the aircraft landing strip on the property.
There were a number of Giraffe on and around the field and we had to wait for them to clear away before we could get set up to shoot.
Pizza made a quick target and Mike used his range finder to set it proper at 100 yards. Finding the most comfortable position I calmed my breathing and slowly squeezed the trigger. Gee, that was a bit loud and my shoulder let me know Newton's laws of motion were in effect! Funny how you don't notice those things when the adrenaline of shooting an animal is coursing through your veins...
Pizza ran back down to the target to verify the hit. About 8 inches high! Mike looks at me and asks if I was confident with the shot. You bet I was. I open the vertical scope adjuster and crank it down 10 clicks. I tap the adjuster with the cover (a habit my brother and me learned from our father when we were little) and put it back on. Pizza had come back and I was steady on the sticks again. Ka-boom! Down Pizza went again to get the target. Just a little high at 100 yards. Perfect. Confidence reborn.
(I have all the faith in the world in the Plano Field Locker I used to ferry my rifle from the USA. The rocks, bouncing in the truck, climbing through brush and trees, etc. however must not have been as kind to my weapon!)
Well, it's now past 7:30am and prime Bushbuck time is just about over. I still have plenty of animals on my list and we set out to find them.
Not more than 5 minutes later we happen upon a herd of Wildebeest ahead of us on the road. They spook and move to our right. We halt and glass. There is a nice bull still on the left side of the road. “Get ready!” says Mike. The bull trotted across the road to follow the herd which had angled towards our 4 o'clock and into some brush. He stopped and stared at us. During this I had gotten out of the truck and gone around the front of the truck to meet Mike on the side away from the herd. We set up the sticks at the back of the truck just in view of the bull. He trotted off a little and stopped again looking at us nearly straight on about 70 yards away. “He's a good one,” says Mike. I aimed just below the muzzle and a touch right. “Take him if you...” BOOM! I wasn't waiting around for him to find a bush to stand behind – not again! The 'Beest wheeled around and took off for cover.
We take off chasing him through the bush. About 50 yards into the chase we hear a crash. He's down!
We climb through some thick brambles and there he is.
After pulling him out to a clear area we set up for some photos. He measured around 28-1/4 inches across. I'm all good with that!
We get him loaded up into the truck and head for the skinning shed.
At the shed we can see one of the skinners finishing up a Genet of Ed's. Looking at the 'Beest the entry hole can be seen right where I aimed. The exit hole is in the far side rib cage. Judging by the amount of trauma that can be seen this guy wasn't going anywhere after that shot and was running on borrowed time.
Okay. Still have to find a Bushbuck, Warthog, and maybe another Impala so off we go. We head back to Cave Rock to view the valley floor below and do some glassing.
We weren't' there long when we hear a sound. The best I can describe it is a barking bleat. Mike says it is a Klipspringer. One of the younger trackers laughs and says it is a rock rabbit. They confer among each other over what the sound was while I continue to glass the area at the base of the massive boulder we're on. “Um. Hey guys.” I've got the binos up to my eyes and pointing down into the trees some 65 yards below and making a motion with my left pointer finger. “I see them. Down there!” Mike quickly comes over and I show him the legs and hooves I'm looking at. Sure enough. Klipspringer(s)! And there is a ram... a nice one. I can't see him so Mike moves me over a couple feet. There! I still can't see his head but I've got the body in my crosshairs. “He's a big one!” he says. “Do you have a shot?” I say, “Yep. I've got his shoulder.” “Shoot him.” (I hadn't planned on taking a Klipspringer as I didn't do much research at all on them. They ARE cool little animals so why not?)
By this stage of the game I trust my PH and without seeing Klippy's head, at around 9:45 am, I let the 300 WM rain down upon him. KA-BOOM! I see smoke, hooves, belly fur, and possibly even blood spray. Two or three females scurry away from the immediate area.
“You got him!” Mike exclaims with excitement. Pizza and Tiger head down to bring him up.
When they get him up on top of the rock they both have huge smiles on their faces. Mike looks down at the Klipspringer and claps me on the back saying that this is the biggest Klipspringer he's ever seen taken! I didn't know how monumental this little guy really was until I looked up the record. The world record, to the best of my knowledge, is 6-3/8 inches. This one unofficially measured about 6-1/4 inches on one side and around 5-5/8 on the other.
(There is no photo-shop action here folks! Those are REAL.)
We head back to the skinning shed. Weren't we just here??? The skinners were amazed to see my Klipspringer saying it is the biggest one that has ever been taken on this property.
As it turns out, the guy that will be coming to pick up our trophies to prepare them for transport to the USA is a Master Measurer and will officially measure it after a month or so.
Leaving the skinning shed with a big bucket of guts we headed to another area to do a bait-drag for Hyena. We found a spot that Mike liked and got to work making a trail for the truck and setting up the area for evening shooting. I should say “they” got to work since the preferred place for Dana and me was in the truck and out of the way.
When that was completed it was about time for lunch and a nice nap after such a busy morning. After a brief nap, Dana and me took a few photos of the grounds surrounding the lodging compound.
The plan made during lunch was to get back out there around 3:15 and see if we could find a Bushbuck or some other critter to bag. Just before dark we would head to the new spot and try again for Hyena.
During our travels around the property we saw a number of interesting things but they can be used for filler on days not as busy as this one. (Besides, I can't remember exactly where they belong in the story! )
Jeff and Dana: Day 7, afternoon.
(Tuesday, 24/7/2018)
So far today: Wildebeest, Klipspringer, new Hyena spot, Lunch, nap, and... ??
The day quickly wound down without seeing much of anything and we headed for the Hyena bait. The truck got parked in a position so as to be as inconspicuous as possible when camouflaged yet provide us with good viewing and shooting angles. The truck was prepared as a blind that we sat on top of with matting and concealment netting surrounding it. The electronics were prepared and the sun was just about down.
Everything was in order: Dana on my left and Mike on my right (we were in the bench seat behind the cab in the bed). Pizza was behind us with his eagle-eyes as spotter. Tiger and Crank were somewhere behind the truck either sitting on the ground or keeping the bumper from floating up and away. The calling started around 6:30.
A fair amount of time passed by before we got a response to the game calls. The return calls sounded a little different and farther away than they did two days ago. They weren't as frequent either but the beasts were getting closer and closer. We constantly scanned the shadows and shapes in the gloom. Ahead at 1 o'clock It seemed a shape had appeared under a bush that hadn't been there before. I kept an eye on that spot. Soon we heard them at the edge of the clearing at our 6. Pizza spotted something moving from our 6 towards 4 on the outskirts of the clearing. It seemed to pause, then dart into the bushes never to be seen again.
Another call on the left and close! Dana, being on the outside of the bench, started freaking out because of the sheer volume and eerie sound they made. Mike whispered to Dana that she might have to bend over while I shoot. Maybe even use her as a shooting bench. Either way she needed to plug her ears! She was more scared of the Hyenas than me shooting across her back!! I really thought she might go berserk from fear...
There he is about 65 yards away at 9 o'clock. Pacing back and forth between bushes and trees. “Dana, bend over and plug your ears! You're going to be ok. JUST DON'T MOVE!” I whisper. I laid my rifle on my forearm across her back and looked through the scope. I can't make him out clearly enough for a shot in the gloom! Mike has his fancy, high power, LED spotlight for which he had a red lens made. He's going to light him up. “Ready?” “Yes...” The light goes on and I acquire the target. He starts to move and I squeeze the trigger. For a brief second the immediate area around the gun barrel is lit up by the fiery blast. The sound of bullet striking body is heard. He's hit!
Dana is tugged upright and she looks both terrified and relieved. “Did you get him?” “I think so. We'll see.” We climbed out of the truck and hurried over to where he was. Okay... Here are his tracks... Now we use extreme caution. A little further on: “Here's blood!” It was bright and contained tissue. A little further it looked like he stumbled and went down in the loose dirt then got up. More blood. Mike tells me these things are tough animals to kill and this isn't a surprise. I'm thinking to myself if this is a wounded animal Dana might be in danger. Searching for a wounded Hyena in the dark – yep, that's ideal! I kept her out in the open or near me – away from the bushes! Then one of the trackers calls out. He is found about 10 feet away. This beastie went some 30 yards with a 30 cal bullet through both lungs before going down for good!
He isn't very old but that doesn't matter to me! What a way to end the day - today was a great triple header day!!!
I have to give Dana an immense amount of credit for being such a trooper and a very stable shooting rest!
Later, after we all talked, Mike saw the shape in the bush too. He is sure it was a leopard. That explains why that first hyena disappeared the way he did. Interesting!
What will tomorrow hold? Hopefully drinks tonight first!
Thank you for the segue to add this! 
