Farmer gave me the farm for week end, weather looked bad and cold looked big time. For two nights two days I packed track suite as over cloths extra and two duvets, 12 beers, bottle of Jamesons, a chicken, 2 x 400 gr T Bones, 12 egg,bacon, ham, tomato, cheese, fried rice sandwich's, each two inch's thick ;D . 4 chocolates,two packets jellie babbies and the inevitable 6 rolls wine gums. A coffee percolator and 300 gr freshly ground coffee with 8 packets hot chocolate and a bag of tea was packed in to ward of the hours waiting for the weather to change to barely survivable. I even packed my tablet loaded with movies, first time ever I done that sin when hunting.
Sowith a "ya fuck that " attitude we drove out to the farm to do a hunt that was not gonna happen.
It was piss stupid cold, the wind blew in sand from the beach 5 km away and it was an inquisitive wind, creeping into every direction - a fkin 3 D wind at minus shit yourself, was plain kak!
We arrived at 21;00 and found that the cattle had bumped the door in and the broken out back wind block we made last time , they had made shelter in our weekend home, shit everywhere and mud everywhere else. Remember the "ya fuck that?" So ya, we set up camp at the old structure. Kind cleaned floor by dragging boots across cow shit and making piles in far corners, turned mattress over and made bed on cleaner side.
Took two hours to get the fire burning the wood was wet, the ground seeped water around your boots and the news paper starter was damp from the air, it was befokked kak.
Since the cattle had used the shed inside and outside for wind shelter we were living in cow shit. "Its only chewed grass Dad" said Cody ever so scared I would call it quits and call home time. The boy has so much character and staying power.
After splitting a pile of wood to tooth pick size and another pile to pencil size and another to finger thick size and making a pile of kindling the size of a V8 motor we got some wood burning and then packed the wood 3 ft high on the pile. Eventually we had a fire going and the ground dried under the fire and the wood packed around fire was steaming away dryer by the minute.
I stood up and admired the view, Port Alfred to cape Recief lay before me, the sea flat as glass and a fullish blood moon straight in front of me.
Heard Mother Nature mumble "sorry Dave, dint know you were coming out tonight", I winked at the sky and it was still, perfect winters night still and clear. Ok ! I admit still piss cold and stinkin of cow shit and a boomslang in my room, but still and beautiful.
The hunt? waaaaaa ha ha, what a joke I recon i know guys with more game in their pubic hair than what we saw, nothing, just to cold with a full moon, nothing.
So here some pictures of a gameless beautiful weekend in the Coastal thickets.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020467054_268a965781_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeKDG)20230702_095146 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeKDG) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Cody admiring the bird art.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020298721_6e61487ab5_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTBp)20230701_223817 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTBp) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Click and wait for link to open
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/53020298821_a1acf20b45_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTD8)20230702_202135_213448099555134 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTD8) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020825900_b5182ce7a1_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMgAjG)20230610_123304 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMgAjG) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020438436_9783d9932a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeB9h)20230609_191434 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeB9h) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020467149_d0c13ec636_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeKFk)20230701_214240 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMeKFk) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
A boy and his dog
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53020298826_82cab3e932_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTDd)20230701_115233 (https://flic.kr/p/2oMdTDd) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Even a bad day hunting beats a good day at the office ;)
Shivering at the thought! But just as Ds J says. As I've got older my biggest weakness has become the cold which I used to ignore almost completely. My long suffering wife tells me that when she met me in my mid twenties I didn't own a jersey let alone a jacket. Now when I go wingshooting around Kroonstad I look like Amundsen trekking for the pole.
Its the wind that does the breaking down of ones will.