Kudu versus Elk

[Bobaru]

I stared this thread in "The Dark Continent" and am bringing it over to Pow Wow.

[Bobaru]

This is a completely new experience for Linda and I - going to Africa.  Perhaps some would enjoy reading a little from the perspective of fresh eyes in the Dark Continent.

[Bobaru]

Linda and I arrived South Africa on 8/25 and her suitcase never left Atlanta. My 64" Brackenbury 54# bow was in that suitcase. My suitcase contained my backup bow: a 64" Samick Journey 50#. It was shooting about 55# at my draw length and is very similar to the Brack.

Before a trip, I get very particular on details. I do know that, once in the field, all that detail planning can go to the devil. But, still, I like to be prepared ahead of time.

I found that the two bows shot slightly different, probably due to how my hand fit. And, I shot the Samick Journey better (??). On my "cold shot" with the Journey, my arrows were slightly low. With the Brack, they were slightly high. So, I practiced exclusively with the brack.

Arrows were another thing. I have not been a big fan of heavy arrows, which will get some eye brows raised here. But, with lots of testing, and lots of excel files, I settled on a Gold Tip Traditional 7595, 300 spine, 31" with 40 grains attached to the insert and a 150 grain two blade Magnus Stinger. Total weight is 564 grains.

I was wanting to bring a 463 grain arrow, but listened in the end to those who like them heavier. And, there was almost no difference in the point of impact between the two at 20 yards. Plus the Gold Tips flew very nicely and were well tuned.

[ChuckC]

Everything I read describes Kudu as narrow chested, not barrel chested like maybe a zebra. It would seem that any reasonable weight gear should kill a kudu from a reasonable distance.  I am guessing the guides / state wants to put a number on it so folks don't show up with 35# and say that should do it, although it probably has.

If you will be shooting from a blind, be sure and practice from one.  It is WAY different for me.
ChuckC

[Bobaru]

Willem at Matlabas Game Hunters had us fetched from the Joberg airport and put up in a nice B&B in Pretoria for the evening. As we were sipping coffee the next morning under powder blue skies out on the patio, our PH stopped in for our lift to Matlabas Game Hunters, a 4 hr. drive.

 

This is a picture along the drive from Joburg to Limpopo province.  

First thing at camp, Linda and I settled, got some lunch and were invited for an afternoon hunt. I still had jeans and sneakers, but no matter.

   

First stop was at the range. Elgim marked a line in the sand, and said "20 yards." He stood back with the owner, Willem, to watch us shoot.  As I nocked my arrow, I glanced back and saw they were both leaning against something with arms crossed waiting for the show.  I have got to admit, I was a little intimidated. But I blocked that out.

First arrow with the Samick Journey was dead center in the 1" black circle. So, I act as if that is normal, not anything like luck. Next 4 or 5 arrows were all in a grate fruit size area. Linda's were about the same. More normal for us.... not bad, not great, and normal for me.

So, off we went: me with Elgim and Linda with Willem.

[Bobaru]

On the first afternoon hunt, I had two dikers and three waterbucks come into our waterhole. Nothing to shoot at. I made a few practice draws. I realized that these animals in a water hole are a lot more jumpy than the whitetail deer I'm accustomed to.

     

Here, a small water buck watches the water hole standing motionless for over 20 minutes, something I've only once seen a whitetail deer do.


In the next two days, we saw less. There was still water in the Matlabas river from their Fall, the weather wasn't hot enough for the animals to want an abundance of water, and the wind was blowing. A much frustrated PH, Elgim, told me that, well, yes, there was game here. But, I didn't need convincing. Look at the ground anywhere and I saw more prints and more scat than I'd ever seen in America.

Finally, on Wednesday the 27, Elgim and I went on a Walk and Stalk. In short order we came on a small group of Eland bedded in the shadows. I didn't have any desire for an eland, but we put on a stalk for fun. As we got to about 70 yards, off to our left, we spotted zebra. Now things were more interesting.

We turned to stalk the zebra in earnest. Elgim thought he could get me behind a scrub bush at about 30 yards. Perhaps I could get a shot.

As we worked this stalk crosswind, we came more and more close to a bad wind sitution on the eland. And, sure enough, the wind took a slight shift. The eland were off taking the zebras with them.

But the zebras didn't go far. So, we started a new stalk. But that went south quickly. I'm guessing the spooked eland were too much for the zebra. Or, it could be that the zebra just like walking, ya know!

As we stood up and milled about over this ending, off to our left we spotted a 40" Kudu bull standing under an acacia tree just looking at us. ... Just amazing to me what goes on in Africa. Sure different for me. Of course, Elgim says he's too small for me. But, to me, he looks like a BIG animal. No matter anyway, as he exited also. And, as with whitetail or any other big game, once you're spotted, it's "no joy" for a successful stalk.

No pictures on or "walk and Stalk."  But here is what the Bush looked like for us: semi-arid, semi open country.  But, it seemed we could never see more than 200 yards.

     

     

   

[Bobaru]

Well, I have some work to do, and other projects.

As I read back, I see a few "typos" which make reading a little difficult.  So, I'll have to take my time with this.  ...  Maybe write on MS Word first, then transfer it over.  

I suppose it's not much of a story for some guys that have lots of experience.  But, this trip to Africa simply blew my mind.  At the end of the day, I've never seen so many track, so much scat, and so much game.  Not to mention, so many different species.  I'm still amazed.

If I had traveled to Africa as a young man, I'd have not come back!  

Anyway, I will continue this tomorrow, if you don't mind.

[Blackhawk]

So far...so good.  I'm enjoying the narrative, and will tune in tomorrow.

BTW, if you wish to edit an existing post of yours, just click on the paper and pencil symbol found at the top.

Also, pics would add lots to your story.

[Kopper1013]

Hey bob it's Greg hahaha I was wondering if you where a tradganger
Wait till you guys get to see some pics look's like a hell of a trip and im excited to hear the story's now (pics are great but story's are better).

[Bobaru]

Thanks for the tips Blackhawk.  I finally figured how to add a few pics to my previous post.  

I'm terrible with pics, but, fortunately, my wife loves cameras.

 

[Bobaru]

ChuckC, I practiced all summer shooting out of my upstairs loft.  I even cut a piece of plywood with an opening of 6" wide by 24" high to simulate that which I would be facing on my trip.

Here is a view from our shooting window in Africa:

   


Before I went, I was looking for taxidermists.  That brought me to Turnbull Mfg. Co. in Bloomfield, NY just down route 5 & 20 a quarter mile from Bullseye Archery.  Doug Turnbull had a shoulder mounted Bull Kudu.  That induced me to take my equipment seriously, as it was a larger animal that I had thought.  Surely, it's as large as a nice bull elk.

[Bobaru]

We were taken to a different "hide" each day for variety, for a different concentration of species in a different area, and because of wind direction.  On Wednesday the 27th, Elgim and I were in a ground blind facing a waterhole that had been made for cattle.  This farm, as probably all the farms in the area, raised cattle for the first part of the 20th century.  Back then the antelope were a nuisance.  That is, until sport hunting became popular.  At that point, the farmers realized there was much more money in maintaining the wildlife and having hunters like us come over from Europe or America.  I'm told that there are over 10,000 of these farms in South Africa supporting wildlife and hunting; the amount of wildlife supported on such farms is seven times that which can be found in the national parks where the photographers like getting their shots.

At any rate, we shortly had a single bull Blue Wildebeest come in and mill around for a long time.  Elgim wouldn't let me shoot.  He said it was 23" and for a Blue Wildebeest we needed 26" to be a trophy.

So, I did any number of practice draws when the right angles presented themselves.  This guy reminded me of a young skike horn whitetail buck - pretty dumb.  

Finally, he simply laid down and went to sleep at about 25 yards out.

At about 3:00, with our friend sleeping out front, two male warthogs came in from the left for water, one was very nice. As seems normal, the smaller one was blocking the larger animal at the water hole.  But, finally I was presented with a shot.

Now, I know nothing about Warthogs.  Plus, this waterhole was made of blocks about 18" high, with the water inside being somewhat low.  The Warthog looked strange as he pulled himself over and stuck his snout down for water.  The PH said to shoot forward (not wanting me to take a gut shot) and I saw a strange target image.  At full draw, I didn't know where to shoot.  I let down partially.  Then shot forward.  

The arrow was sticking half way out on each side.  And, as he pulled away from the waterhole and assumed his normal position, I knew I'd hit him too far forward - forward of the front leg, not behind.  

Still, I was hopeful I'd clipped the lungs.

We tracked for 100 yards and found my arrow.  There was lots of blood (great!). None of the blood was pink (errrr!).  But, we were hopeful.  

After about an hour, we decided to leave him for the night.  ...  This is the feeling I never like about hunting.

[Bobaru]

Thursday, August 28, was Linda's birthday.  She had reached an age with a zero at the end, so it was special for her, for us.

Ten years ago, she spent her "zero" birthday at a zoo as she loves wildlife.

That was before we had gotten together; before her introduction to hunting.  

Me?  I don't think I'd ever have gone to Africa.  It simply wasn't within the scope of my vision.  It was Linda that put this whole thing together. ... Impulsively...  

We sat at the NYS Bowhunter's dinner in April just down the road at Inn on the Lake.  It was our first time.  And, they had an auction afterwards.  

I don't do that stuff.  But, if I did, I would have put in for, say, a Black Bear hunt in Ontario.  

But, not Linda.  First chance, she raises her card on an African Bow hunt.  

So, here we were, on Thursday, going for another hunt. But, today,  the staff had gotten together and asked if the two of us would like to hunt together with Elgim.  We agreed.

[Bobaru]

First, we fetched up Shorty, an African tracker/skinner to see to the warthog.  This man was nothing short of amazing.  He tracked the animal walking at a determined pace, upright.  Following was Elgim and then me.  

At first I saw some blood.  Then no blood.  Then I began to wonder if Shorty was actually tracking something or putting on a show - I'd never seen anyone track like this: full upright walking along waving his hand at what he saw as the trial.

At about 600 yards we came across where he'd laid down, with a big area of blood.  So, I had to believe the man knew what he was doing.  Seemed like magic to me.  

He said that, not long after I shot the warthog, a jackal picked up his trail and kept pushing him. Had it not been for the jackal, he likely would have laid down for the night and died.  As it was, we tracked him about another 600 to 800 yards to the neighbors and had to give it up.

Along the way, we saw a nice herd of Blue Wildebeests grazing.  They walked along pretty fast as they grazed, all going in the same direction.  And, while we attempted to put on a stalk, it was not to be.  They caught our wind and stampeded.  They left us with a dust cloud and the sound of the thunder of their hooves on the sandy bushveld.

No animals yet, but, my goodness!!  So far this hunting trip was worth every penny we'd spent.  It was beyond any expectations I'd had.  It was a different world I'd only read about.  Again, I was amazed at it all.

[Bobaru]

Linda and I spent her birthday in a Hide named Quagga after an extinct subspecies of zebra.

 

We spent the day bird watching, actually.

Here is a "go-away-bird" bird.  If you heard his sound, you'd want him to go away too.  In fact, Elgim was wanting to shoot them with a rifle.

 

Linda took lots of bird photos, and Willem lent us a book to take afield to help identify them.  On a different day, she caught this picture of a fellow hunter, a Goshawk, using talons rather than arrows on a quail.

 

Here we are on Linda's birthday, relaxing, waiting on game, going crazy over the birds.... Oops, Linda napping.

 

 

[Bobaru]

These guys came in for water.  Nothing to shoot.  The females don't have the large wart like growths by the eyes as do the males.

   

And, this small Impala was a lurker, perhaps a little too skiddish to come in.  

   

[fmscan]

Bob, Really enjoying your posts, keep them coming, nice experience to share with your lady.

[Bobaru]

I know I mentioned birds at Quagga.  Well, it wasn't just Quagga, and frankly, we were getting a little frustrated.  

A flock of Quinea Foul, which had been at 50 or 60 yards all day, decided to come in for water, this guy amoung them.

     

This is the result - dinner for Shorty.  An inauspicious beginning to my African take, but greatly satisfying.  Finally got something.  South African Turkey!

   

Elgim was setting up for video on this, but snap shooting was faster....

[Bobaru]

When we got back to camp, we learned that Linda's suitcase came in on her birthday.  Willem had to drive 60 miles to Lephalale to pick it up.

What a relief.  We had cross packed some clothes just in case, but she was sadly deficient in clothes.  In fact, she had been out in the bush with socks and sandals all week.  And, she'd been using some of my hunting clothes.  But, we did manage okay.  

Needless to say, she was overjoyed at the arrival.

And, she asked if I wanted to put my Brack together.  I declined.  This cheap charlie Samick Journey was just okay for me.  I'd gone 4 days so far with it.  It was growing on me like an old hunting coat.

[Bobaru]

Greg, if you were on this hunt, you'd have cleaned up being the hunter you are ... Then again, we may never have seen you again, because you'd have stayed behind...

If you go, go at the end of their winter.  That was good advise I got on TradGang.  You want the weather warm.  

Unfortunately for us, there was open water with easy access in the Matlabas River.  They say that was unusual, as they had enormous rain fall in March.  

One fellow from North Dakota said he was there last year and shot 11 arrows.  This year he only shot 1 - but that was also, in part, because he already had certain trophies and passed on a couple shots this year.

So, Greg, you've got to put this on your list!!!!