The really Big kittle boy.

[Treeman]

So this guys tells me he wants his little boy to go hunting, he is 13 years old and Dad is worried because his boy somehow is not filling his "boertjie" dads perceptions of how his boy would be. I think Dad imagined his boy doing all the things he did as a kid + all the things he wished he could have done, but alas it was not to be, the boy played rugby and enjoyed his computer and all that went with it.

In short dad was a bit worried, and kind of thought hunting would be the thing he and his boy would make memories around, "Treeman, can you help?"

Lets paint the scenario, the father is a smallish guy, tough as nails and would have made a good Recce or Koevoet, he has the build, stature and mental fortitude that was so prevalent in our Afrikaans super soldiers.
The son is a quiet 13 year old that weighs 107 kg, no not a fat boy, just a huge hulk of a male with baby skin and the ways of a 13 year old. He plays a game of rugby which just may gain him fame someday and then likes to hide behind his PC screen.
Least that's the way I see the picture.

So its all said and discussed and promised and then as usual forgotten ? No ! not with me, you could see, hear the surprise when I called him and said I had a farm and hunt available, ya ya ya , he never expected to hear from me again.
So off we go to the bush, nice boy, nice man the father (met him because he fitted my water tanks and pump system). Turns out they had been shooting once or twice, but it had not really caught the sons attention, they had spent big money on 3 hunting trips, but not even seen a animal, so both of them were a bit disappointed with this whole hunting lark.
The rifle they presented as their hunting weapon was hard to accept, think it was a Parker Hale on a K98 action in an original stock with original 1918 trigger delivering a .270 Wins pills.The Bushnell scope was just kak, kakker and perhaps kakkist of kak. (Yes that bad).
I made up my mind before starting that I would get the boy onto my rifle, not what dad actually wanted.

On arrival at farm it was determined that the boy could hit the paper within 2 inch's of where he was aiming at 100 m and I once again made up my mind that he would use my rifle, my trigger would half that group just by not being a K98 trigger. Dad said he was good, did not need to practice or check his shooting, mmmnnn ? ya ok then.

Set up camp and went to a good spot with a short walk to a narrow valley that often had Impala in it at 110 m to 340 m, the water cuttings and scrub made for relatively easy stalking and I hoped to get Dad sorted so as to have a full day with the boy. We duly saw impala and I announced that I thought dad would try for one of them as the shot was a bit long, (I wanted young Lucas to shoot under a 100m). Got Dad in and at about 140 m he missed far and wide, no worries no wounding, just a proper miss shot.
We headed to camp in the dark and made a fire.

Was a lovely fire, they were nice people - it was good.
20220715_210321 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

A beer or 4 and a brandy for the Dad and we went to bed after braaing to much food, was a early bed, like 22:30.
The night air was proper cold for our area and there was a supermoon hanging in the sky as per the news, was amazing to see - check this photo at like two in the morning.
20220716_044437 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

I really wished I did not have guests, because Cody and I would have hunted on foot that whole night with that moon, magical stuff a silver moon light hunt - nothing can beat a silver moon hunt NOTHING>

We set alarms for 6 (to early for impala I announced) and 7 (impala like some son I professed) and 7.30 and eventually took notice of day at 07.15 when i started out in a panic, "fuck its getting late we better hurry up" - ya, thats me 
The little dog was ready.
20220716_082237 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
The little dog is always ready.

The father wanted to hunt with his boy and said so, but I could see he was starting to realise that he was not the best bet for his sons success, I suggested he hunt with Cody, because Cody is just so good at teach leading, guiding - the child is amazing, previous week he took a 54 year old woman hunting, but the Dad was not so comfortable with that and I could not fault that call. In the end it was decided I would take the youngster and Cody would take the Dad, each for their first buck.

Just before we left in our own directions, the father came over (shame the man really loves his boy big and much) "please, don't make him hate hunting" - I decided against telling dad to "Fk off", bit unlike me that is. Why ya gotta tell me shit huh?

So bit down the road we stop and I do my speach. " My boy we in the bush now, you are now 25 years old and I am 25 years old, we equals under the sun doing a hunt, I make you cross, you tell me, you make me cross, I will tell you, we are equal. Lucas, I talk hard, its excitement, not anger, you tell me "piss off" I will not judge you, we equal for this hunt" Got it?"
The boy is a nice boy, really a nice child and we chatted as we neared the hunt area, spoke of guns, hunting, gutting a animal and stalking. It was made clear that he would hunt, stalk, shoot,drag and gut his own animal and it seemed he was excited about it all.
Right at our very first stop to scan I found impala some few thousand meters away on another hill right across farm and we decided we would just go get them rather than keep looking where we were.We walked back and used the bakkie to drive into the valley below the mountain they were last see on, behind a very prominent big green ball of a bush. We parked less than 2 km from the spot using trees and rocks and valleys as our proximity indicators and walked in. I told the boy that everything we have done is now at a final point where he had to listen and not make me speak twice, listen think and do as told.
We walked a easy walk in and found the two straight markers and the square rock, then spotted the green ball bush and so much to our blessing a row of impenetrable clusters of bush which meant we could basically walk upright behind the bush's right to about 100 m from animal - wind in our face behind a wall of green. The kid was stiff as a board with tension. We stopped and spoke about what was going on, where we were in relation to where we had seen the animals, the green bush, the smaller bush, the open space, the long flat rock strata under the square rock, we were right there, one last bush which we would look around and see them.
We got there and I looked - nothing, I looked and looked and saw nothing. I looked at kid and made a face and he said that he could see them, huh? how ? The child thought I had it all under control, he thought I had seen them as well, he thought I had it all in a bag. He pointed through a hole and it all came together, I was out by about one hour in my estimation of what 12 o clock in front was.
I told Lucas that now the animal was really his, because he found them not me.
We positioned ourselves and I gave instructions to and about his next actions and he listened to a "T". I put the sticks out far in the open from behind the bush, checked the animals and could only see one, a bit worrying that, where were the rest ?. The animal I could see was a huge ewe looking away from us head down. Then the head came up and it was actually a ram watching something 180 deg away from us. The ram never wavered, just stared up and away from us. The boy was shuffled into position and told to look over scope at animal then aim along scope at animal, then through scope, finger off trigger. I had the scope on 5 x and when he panted that he could see it, I cranked the scope to 7 or 8 x. I asked him what he saw and then said " behind the shoulder on bottom of the line in color I showed you earlier, got it ?" I gave him some time, and said when you ready to shoot say "ready" and then remember to concentrate on the cross and let your finger touch the trigger, do not think of trigger only the cross, dont force the rifle, just let it lie on the sticks, touch the trigger when ready.
The child listened to a "T" and I heard "ready" and bang and the ram dropped.The child only saw impala scatter, you do not see much when shooting loose rifle over sticks, he thought he had missed, you could just see it, he asked " did it fall", but you could see he knew he had missed. I answered that it was laying there and he was so so animated, a very quiet, few word child, but he did "yes yes yes" , and a small air fist pump.
I shook hands with him and said that his Dad would have to start talking more adult to him now, he had successfully hunted his first animal before his father had and he liked that whole "thing"
20220716_084008 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr


Perhaps I will post later again regarding post animal falls - its 23.45 now and I be tired.

[Treeman]

After the animal fell, I showed him which direction to drag it and went back to the bakkie for lunch, he had a long drag indeed.
I gave him 40 minutes or so and then went to find him, found him dragging at a 45 deg to where he was meant to be going and set him straight and left him again, as I left I shouted that he must just call me if he needs help. "Unka unka Dave can you help me pull?" So then ja! 10 minutes later we were at bakkie.

Your animal you shot it, you gut it, no complaints, very game and very eager to learn. I made a slit and showed him the two finger trick and set him to work, he did not look healthy

He managed to open the carcass up and was sort of alright till the intestines bulged out     the dry heaving started and the fight began. He really fought hard work heave, work heave, walk away come back, so I saw he was willing and decided to help out. Told him to hold a leg and I worked mostly with a request to cut there and pull here. He was game and I regoned he had done his bit. We washed and cleaned up animal and selves and he said something interesting. I said "well done" and he answered "I did what you told me to" - Interesting that.

We were at the fire place by 12:30 and I ordered a sleep (I am getting old). I woke the gang at 14:00 abouts and we were back in the bush in route to far side of farm within 5 minutes. When we stopped at leave vehicle point, the father announced that he would look after the vehicle, he was all hunted out. I took 5 minutes off just to rag him about it all, half of one day hunting and he was moertoe. I promised him a milk shake when we got home and he could sleep with my Teddy Bear - "fokkoff Treeman.
Cody and his son went one way and I announced that I would just quickly go and get the fathers Impala (show off and all).
I had barely been ten minutes into my away from walk when I saw a light gap fade and reappear between some bush's about 100 m away, a quick binocular scan confirmed something was there, I stalked a easy stalk and the wind changed at about 60 - 70 m from my estimated possible animals spot. I very quickly almost sprinted at a 90 degree angle to my travel pass across from where I was and just lay there dead still for a few minutes. I sat up looked up and there was that golden back line of a Impala just above the bush's about 50 m from me. I moved a few times, but the velt was just to high to get a clear shot. I positioned, repeat, repeat, try again and again but only the back line showed. I binno'd the scene and saw a spinal shot would be easy enough.
The rest was two seconds work.
IMG-20220716-WA0030 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
You can see the height of bush I shot over behind me, the animal it turns out was in the open.

The father was just so over this matter of me like just going off and 30 minutes later getting one I recon I have not had such praise and admiration since I, ?? dunno, dunno when I was "the Man"