A year of planning is coming to fruition

[Capp35]

Congrats!
I hope the weather cooperates.

[WhiplashTX]

Day 3

You know the old saying a day late and the wrong bait? Well I had the right day and bait but the wrong fishing pole. I decided to take the smoke pole today to see what the rifle hunting was like, We were after Gemsbok and Impala but didn't see any shooters. At noon we took refuge in a large blind overlooking a watering hole to eat lunch. Wouldn't you know it but a big gemsbok came in and stood broadside at 20 yards. He teased me for awhile but we decided we would try for another one spot and stalking. Well, the gemsbok played a different game called spot and run. The bull we were after was in a herd of about 15 animals and it proved to be to difficult to beat that many pairs of eyes. I did take a consolation prize.

[Capp35]

Nice consolation prize!

[WhiplashTX]

Day 4

Not much to report, went after Kudu and Gemsbok today and didn't see any shooters. The weather is clearing and it is a clear night with great views of the milky way.

[Flint knapper]

Cool post!

[Hands On]

Great pics. Good hunting.

[WhiplashTX]

Day 5

What a frustrating day, tons of animals and not one shooter presented a shot. We had 6 kudu bulls in front of us at once but they were too young and the only shooter had broken the tip off his left horn. Then the gemsbok showed up but only the cows and young bulls came in while a nice bull hung back. We finally had a really nice wildebeest come in late in the evening but stood facing us the whole time till he took off running for no apparent reason. I wasn't really after wildebeest but he was big and had prominent stripes.

Tomorrow the smoke pole is making a reappearance and hopefully I'll be posting some pics.

[Quackerbox]

I had no idea Jase Robertson posted here!


Kidding....awesome pics!!

[Wood Man]

Awesome photos. Looks like a blast.

[Capp35]

Any updates?

[Capp35]

Sorry didn't see the above post.
Good luck today!

Love the Jase Robertson reference.

[d1rich1]

Awesome thread!! thanks for sharing

[WhiplashTX]

Day 6

Things have been kind of slow at the bow hunting spots since it's late in the season and the animals have really figured out that getting too close to the blinds is a bad idea. Instead they tease you and stand behind brush or stay just out of bow range. Well today I broke out the .280 and we went after Kudu and Gemsbok. First stop was at a bush blind overlooking a watering hole and feed trough. The Kudu came in early and by 8am we had about 15 Kudu which is by far the most I have seen at one spot. Two of them were shooters and I had one picked out but there always seemed to be another animal in front of or behind him. I kept waiting and waiting with my heart thumping when finally there was a small opening and I took the shot. Huh, that's weird no "thwack" and he didn't look like he was hit. My PH and I look at each other and both say there is no way I could have missed. He'd already seen me shoot and the distance was only 80 yards with a good rest. Well we looked for blood and a downed Kudu but couldn't find either. I pulled the bolt on my rifle and did a quick boresight check and the rifle appeared to be still sighted in. We headed back to the blind and that when he noticed what went wrong, I clipped a branch 3 feet from the muzzle. We had a good laugh and my confidence was back.

[WhiplashTX]

Day 6 continued...

Firing a shot and then searching the surrounding area chased all the Kudu off so we decided to drive around and try to spot one for a stalk. We found one but he was completely surrounded by thorn bushes and the stalk was unsuccessful. Well if at first you don't succeed try again, which is what we did. We drove some more and spotted two bulls and they spooked but my PH said they looked like they were headed to nearby watering hole and we would try to ambush them. Luckily they did just as he expected and one was a shooter, not quite as nice as the one I shot at earlier but a good older bull. Distance was again just under a hundred yards and we were rewarded with the sound of a solid hit. We got to watch him pile up just 20 yards away and my PH wanted to know where I was aiming as he hadn't seen one pile up that fast with a non magnum. I'll have to say that 160gr partition did some damage, it went through the near side shoulder, center punched a rib, took off the top part of the heart, disintegrated the lower parts of the lungs, exited behind the off side shoulder, and was last seen exploring the countryside.

[WhiplashTX]

Day 6 continued....

After getting the Kudu we went after Gemsbok which were the 2nd ranked animal on my list after Kudu. We drove the property for hours but they remained elusive and we didn't see a single one. My PH suggested we try walking the draws and see if we could find them. I didn't feel that good about our chances since they have such good eyesight and also based upon our previous experiences. We covered 2-3 miles when we spotted a lone bull bedded down. We were about 200yards away with a lot of brush between us but the wind was in our favor. Creep, creep, look, creep, creep, look, finally the distance was down enough that I could get a clear shot but he was still bedded down and we couldn't see his horns clearly. My PH said only the older bulls go solo so I took the shot and dropped him in his tracks, He was smaller than I was hoping for but was definitely older with thick bases. They are skinning him tonight so I won't find out till tomorrow where the bullet went but it didn't exit.