First hunt 2024 season.

[Treeman]

Not that hunting season means much to me, only that its cooler and much more pleasant to hunt.
As you guys know, I am a big advocate of "you pull the trigger, you have shot it, you pay the price.
Many guys won't hunt with me because of my standpoint on the matter, last night at the fire we spoke of the kudu you shot at 400 m, you told me of the Springbuck you shot at 300 m, we spoke of our grouping and you said things like " Nee Boet, as ek skiet val die bok". Now, you tell me you fired 3 shots today at Kudu and they all missed.
Bullshit ! you wounded it and could not find the animal.Even if you really believe you missed, you did not, you do not shoot a4 page at 100 m yesterday and then miss a door size animal today.

That said, I know it DOES happen, but perhaps 1 in every 20 miss claims is a true miss - I have found the animals a few weeks later, far to many times.
Well, that just happened to me, first time in 30 years I recon.

Woody Cape, just outside Nanaga behind the sand dunes of the Sundays River area.It rained whole of previous week and week end,it rained Thursday and it rained Friday and Friday night, but there seemed to be a break Saturday and saturday night. We brave, us Manne! We tough as nails when planning, we even pretty roff ouens when leaving     
We left in the rain, Cody, I and a rather subdued fellow hunter who was starting to regret meeting us in the first place. We packed under the carport with rain pissing down proper, stood in water while packing, left to the wife's " you mad" comment.
We drove out in the rain, and 4x4ed onto farm road, 15 km of gravel later we saw a Warthog on the road, just standing there. Cody has this unbelievable ability to see a wounded/sick animal, the cause of many a argument and the a me apologising, "you were right my boy" incidents. This child will look at a herd of Blessbuck and point out a sick animal, after arguing and eventually shooting it knowing there is nothing wrong with it, only to find out that it is tick infested or got Screw worm or or or - its unbelievable to witness this ability of his. I swerved around the hog and Cody started up.
So again I argued and he pleaded "No Dad really dad, Pleeez Dad Really Its wounded, I know it"  I stopped bakkie reversed up road with trailer in the rain and mud and the hog just stood there. I took 9 mm out and walked up to it, fell my moer off in the clay and pig kinda ran a few foot away. Ran after the animal, shot it 3 x becourse I was now wet, sore and the moering.
Cody was right, broken shoulder and burst abdomen, must have been hit by a car. I photographed area and messaged the farmer and farmer's family in regard to what had happened.
Started wishing I had just fkn stayed at home dry and warm, maybe even got laid, instead here I was wet with a swollen knee, a over enthusiastic teenager and a very doubtful friend.

"AWE DAD YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE VERY HAPPY TOMORROW IF ITS NICE WEATHER".

We arrived at the accommodation, 4 walls, 4 holes where windows were and 4 holes where the doors were and a good roof, it was still raining and the wind was seriously unfriendly. The wind came off the sea 500 m away entered the south holes and fkd off out north holes carrying with it any hope of comfort or pleasure. 
We packed some sheets in front one hole and a half door against one window. Two 210 lt drums were stuck in wind side door hole and things were not so bad then, just terrible.
We build a kaiya fire sommer inside and began to feel better, we even spoke plans of tomorrows hunt.

We woke up and it was a " days in Africa Day indeed, still, warm and 30 km visibility, we went hunting in the mud , saw 20 - 25 Warthog, 3 Impala a Waterbuck and a few Kudu, but no chance was given, all animals on a mission to somewhere, just heading elsewhere at a pace.

After 2 days of trying, Cody and I saw a Kudu that we had seen a few times before on previous days, but always just fleetingly between cover and gone. This time he walked out and started to feed in a clearing about a km away, on the side of a hill at about 15;00 hrs. 2hr30 minutes to sundown. Cody, I grabbed the needs and left the rest of our stuff at the vantage point we had chosen to sit and watch from and headed across the farm to the clearing we had marked using higher trees and noteable different plants etc.
When we got to the area I could not see the Kudu, I knew he was there, but I could not see him. Cody spotted a branch that looked like a horn and we tried every way of looking at it,but it was definitely a horn, or perhaps a branch. After a while the branch moved and we agreed we were gonna shoot that branch, we had a little father son giggle.
Turns out that the kudu had stepped into a hollow in the land and that's why he had disappeared. Only his head and half his body was showing, like a tortoise with horns. We watched him a bit and moved further along the cover we were using till we eventually got to look lengthways up the little valley he was in, just a natural indent in the ground, but now there was a tree in the way, just his head and front of shoulder was showing. Good for a low neck between shoulders shot, into lungs as second target.
He stopped, looked at us as they do and stood dead still. "Don't move Dad, he has got that feeling Dad". I shot, a total simple shot, no doubts, 160 m max large target, larger success area on target, the bull just stood there, "Dad ? what happened? You couldn't miss?" Yet, it just stood there," You hear a hit my boy ?', " no dad, nothing". The Kudu snorted, turned, and cantered off, moving out of the area, but not panicked. I stood up, stepped clear and shot it behind last rib to exit between front legs about 180 -190 m. The hit came back, the kudu buckled, recovered and turned up the hill, it ran 40 m or so and stopped behind a large bush with just neck and head showing, we stood still and I glassed the bush, looking for a hole. I found a v in the bush and it showed the right shoulder of the animal in a 30 cm wide gap - enough to put a bullet through with ease. "Cody boy, I am not going to wait for it to drop, if it goes further we will never get it out" Cody as always "do it Dad". I shot the animal and it fell.
The nearest vehicle point was 340 m from the Kudu, I joined all my recovery ropes and a tow rope and we were 40 m short. Draggin a 140 kg animal in soft ground is not a story of success and I am closer to 60 than 50 years old. We grabbed and lifted and pulled and the animal stayed still while our efforts only pushed our feet into the soft ground. We rolled it, inched it and eventually 18 hrs later, maybe more got it to the end of the rope. Hooked it up and I drove away dragging animal to where it could be loaded. Reversed all the way back and got out van and promptly passed out, dunno why, but ya, I fainted.
After a while I arose to find Cody working, he had not even noticed his Dads embarrassing moment.
We loaded the animal and headed back to collect our stuff left on the high ground.

I just happened to look back over where we had been and surprisingly enough there were two warthog 70 m from us.
Cody said he would take one of them as he has 4 on credit at the farm, off he went. I love this part where I sit up above the hunt and watch him apply himself to the stalk, all the stuff I had taught him playing out.
He got to last cover, and the pigs stayed facing away, no way closer across opening and they were heading away. I just knew what he was going to try, I knew it, he had watched me 20-30 times in his life, in behind last rib through lungs, perhaps across heart. That's exactly what he did, I watched it as it unfolded, the hit, the reaction and the warthog spurt.
The hog ran and I doubted the shot, along valley 20 m then turned away again 40 m, another shot went off, and I who was fiercely concentrating on the running hog, looking for wound or tell tale signs saw the hit exactly.
The bullet entered under the tail, enlarging its rectum, and as it traveled along in body it kicked a dust, wet spray along spine. It was incredible to see, almost a slow motion bullet path indicator.   The pig fell head over heels, Cody had just done his first ever running shot.
When we found the pig, it was the usual story with a warthog, first shot was liver, lungs and top of heart, yet it still ran as if uninjured.
20240608_170628 (1) by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
20240608_170701 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
This pig weighed 41 kg gutted, looks smaller.
20240608_173159 (1) by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
4 days later we are still working the carcase
 20240609_122103 (2) by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

[Tripodmvr]

Thanks for the story. Take some advice and go have a thorough medical check-up.

[Treeman]

Thanks for the story. Take some advice and go have a thorough medical check-up.

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I did Oom Drie, not such good news for me - diabetic.
WTF, how the fk did that happen, 24 years old, Superman's my uncle and Rambo is my little brother ? Diabetic , Huh ?

Fraid so mate I am now Diabetic 2, the not so bad one - so some lifestyle changes have had to happen.

[oafpatroll]

Thanks for the story. Take some advice and go have a thorough medical check-up.

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I did Oom Drie, not such good news for me - diabetic.
WTF, how the fk did that happen, 24 years old, Superman's my uncle and Rambo is my little brother ? Diabetic , Huh ?

Fraid so mate I am now Diabetic 2, the not so bad one - so some lifestyle changes have had to happen.

Bugger. Sorry to hear.

[Treeman]

Thanks for the story. Take some advice and go have a thorough medical check-up.

********************************
I did Oom Drie, not such good news for me - diabetic.
WTF, how the fk did that happen, 24 years old, Superman's my uncle and Rambo is my little brother ? Diabetic , Huh ?

Fraid so mate I am now Diabetic 2, the not so bad one - so some lifestyle changes have had to happen.

Bugger. Sorry to hear.

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     , ha ha, not as sorry as me 

[DaavG]

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     , ha ha, not as sorry as me 

You make significant improvement through dietary changes, type 1 not so much! Good luck!

Lovely story always thoroughly enjoy them and the visuals, well done. What was the outcome of your 1st kudu shot - genuine miss? Hit a branch not seen maybe?

[Treeman]

I am telling you, there was no bullet in the case, only thing possible.

I am still perplexed.In 22 years, never seen that, I believe more easily in ghost bro.

[Treeman]

Cody and I wrapped a front leg in tin foil 8 hrs ago and left in a bed of fire ash, ya know that next morning glowing ash. Made a fire next to it and let it almost "not cook".
I reckon I just ate about 800gr meat.

[Treeman]

20240613_180451[1] by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
rewards of the hunt.

[Treeman]

Remember that kudu leg I spoke of ?? Well heres the last of it, from a baby, loved to eat off the bone.
IMG-20240617-WA0049[1] by David Frank Allen, on Flickr