Christensen African Hunting Adventure

Part 3 of 4

Editor’s Note: In the previous two issues we have followed the Christensen family as they experienced different hunts and South African culture on their family vacation with Marupa Safaris. We pick up their vacation on day seven of the trip.

The following morning found us traveling to the adjacent property across the dirt road that leads to the property. This was another ranch, but this one was low fenced for cattle. On this property were springbok, blesbok and gemsbok. Unlike the property we were staying at, this property had virtually no trees or bushes, it was just a huge open grassland with rolling hills and a few rock outcroppings. Our plan was to try to harvest a springbok and a gemsbok from the property. It didn’t take us long to see this was going to be challenging for multiple reasons. As soon as we entered the property we spotted springbok around 500 yards away and before anyone could say a thing they were on a dead run away from us. As we continued our drive Rosta, a worker from this property told me he saw gemsbok and pointed. At first I didn’t see any, but then I looked on the horizon probably 1,000 yards off and saw a large herd of animals running away. So between the animals being very skittish on this property and the wind blowing quite hard my hopes weren’t too high as I was guessing anyone trying to get an animal here would have to be a long range shooter, which I didn’t feel I was.

Josh with his gemsbok and ant mound in the background.jpg

We continued along a path that took use toward the middle of the property. We came to within 300 yards of a herd of springbok before they darted away. Towards the middle of the property were to large koppies. We headed toward them and stopped about 250 yards from the closest one. Reinardt turned the truck off and told me to grab the gun as he grabbed the shooting sticks. We started through the thorn infested grasses toward the furthest koppie. 300 yards into our trek Reinardt stopped on a dime and we back tracked toward the truck and then swung around behind the first koppie, the one closest to the truck.

Once we were at the base of the koppie Reinardt signaled there were animals just on the other side, so we slowly eased our way up to the top. Rosta stayed at the base of the koppie as we crept along, Reinardt in the lead followed by me. As Reinardt came to the top of the koppie he quickly ducted down and backed up a few steps. We then moved slightly to our right and progressed forward. In this process Reinardt laid the shooting sticks down so I knew I would probably be shooting off the rocks.

Reinardt eased forward until he could see the entire herd of gemsbok on the other side of the koppie and called me up to join him on his right-hand side. As I reached the top with him, Reinardt whispered for me to use a big rock in front of me as a rest for the rifle. When I attempted to do this the barrel was sitting on the rock beyond the rock I was trying to use as a rest, because I had to shoot at a downward angle, not allowing me to get a good rest. A quick problem solve later had me reposition my body to make the rock work. This consisted of me placing my knee in the middle of four rocks a little further right of where I was before. Although the position looked like it would be uncomfortable it was actually fine and I felt quite steady.

As I looked over the koppie I saw a large herd of gemsbok; 50 or more animals all milling around. I learned later that this herd would often run to one of the two koppies on the property when they felt threatened. I only saw two gemsbok looking in our direction as the rest of the herd was looking to the open areas on the other three sides. On this stalk the wind was working in our favor as the wind was blowing in our face, covering any sound we made while climbing the koppie and keeping our scent from the herd.

Now that I was in a stable shooting position Reinardt assessed the herd for a good mature animal. The first animal he selected was facing away from us on the right-hand side of the herd. I located the gemsbok quickly based on Reinardt’s directions, but he didn’t give me a shot. In fact, when he turned broadside he moved towards the middle of the herd making the shot impossible. I was quickly directed to another animal on the right side of the herd. I was able to get on this one as well, but it too decided to move toward the center of the herd making a shot ill-advised. Once again Reinardt found another good gemsbok toward the right side of the herd. As I waited for it to turn broadside, I thought to myself, what a great set-up and an awesome way to hunt gemsbok. When this gemsbok moved it started walking away from us, I figured I would not be getting a shot at this one either, but Reinardt was confident it was going to turn any second.

The gemsbok did just that, providing me with a quartering away shoot. I put the crosshairs slightly back on the body so the bullets path would travel out the opposite shoulder. Reinardt let me know this gemsbok was in the clear and I could take the shot when I was ready. I took a deep breath and then squeezed the trigger. At the sound of the shot the gemsbok herd started to stir, but the only one that ran at first was the one I shot. It ran to the middle of the herd and then back to the right with the herd following. Then the gemsbok turned back left and did a flip as it hit an ant mound, landing in its final resting place. I had an awesome animal on a very memorable stalk. Pictures were taken as we relived the adventure by retelling the story to Sara and the boys.

With the wind and the skittishness of the springbok it was decided we would head back to the property the lodge was on and hunt there. Once on the Marupa property we made our way to the skinners shack. We rounded a bend in the road and saw a group of springbok. As we glassed them we saw there were only females, but not too far to their right we spotted a herd of red lechwe including one male. Reinardt told me it was a pretty good one so I said let’s give it a go.

I grabbed the rifle while Reinardt grabbed the shooting sticks and we used the thick thorny bushes of the Northern Cape as cover to close the gap on the lechwe. As we rounded the last bit of cover the shooting sticks were set up and I placed the rifle on them for the shot. As soon as I got the lechwe in my sights it ran back into the thick bush. I figure the stalk was over, but Reinardt told me to be ready because he thought the lechwe would come back out into the open. A few seconds later he did, but he was walking at a decent pace and didn’t look like he was planning to stop. That is when Reinardt let out a whistle. When the lechwe heard this he stopped and looked, affording me the opportunity at a good broadside shot. I placed the crosshairs halfway up the body on the back side of the shoulder and squeezed the trigger.

The lechwe jumped as if it were a good hit, but I was a bit worried because I heard the bullet ricochet off some rocks. Between the ricochet sound and the fact the lechwe took off on a dead sprint and looked fine worried me, but Reinardt assured me it was a good hit. We went to where the lechwe was standing at the shot and found blood, but after fifteen yards blood was hard to find. We followed his path and 100 yards later found him piled up. We noticed the angle of the shot didn’t allow for the lechwe to bleed much and this was why blood was hard to find.

I was elated with this animal. Since my first trip to South Africa in 2007 when I saw my first lechwe I wanted to hunt one and now I finally had one. The red hair on the animal was so soft and thick and the different colors he had from the red and the white to the black on his legs made me think he was the most beautiful trophy in the country.

That concluded our morning hunting for the day. After lunch and some rest we went back out to look for waterbuck for Sara. We were able to find the four cows in the area we saw the bulls the day before, but there were no bulls to be found. As we continued on we came to a bachelor group of impala. Sara and Reinardt attempted a stalk, but the group was feeding away from them and it was decided to go back to the truck and try to get around them.

We took a few roads to get ahead of the group. When we stopped, Reinardt and Sara got out of the truck and started their stalk. They were able to use the vegetation to their advantage as they snuck up to within 110 yards of the group. The shooting sticks were set up and instructions were given as to which impala was the intended target. Once the correct ram was identified Sara made an excellent shot and the impala was hers.

As the sun was disappearing over the African skyline, making for another awe-inspiring sunset a herd of springbok was spotted. They seemed to be a little more at ease as the day was coming to an end. This allowed for Sara to get a shot opportunity on a good ram. She made a disabling shot from 200 yards away and as the light of the day faded away we were able to capture the moment with several quick photos.