Re: Africa - Elephants!!!
After shooting most everything I wanted, EXCEPT a KUDU, I didn't feel too bad, they frustrated Hemingway too, we made a plan to go south to the Botswana/South Africa border and shoot a buff. Load up the plane early, off to SA.
On leaving Frankfurt, I fueled up a bottle of scotch, a big one from the duty free, but alas, ran out! I was almost reduced to drinking Jamesons, but Kobus came thru. Someone from three years ago left a crate of whiskey at the lodge, Kobus doesn't drink, and he said I could look thru it to see if I liked anything there. YES, the same stuff!!! God does love us! It made the trip with us, did not know what the bar might have in SA.
Picture taking from here kinda fell off, without the girls to keep me disciplined, I'm just here for the hunt you know. After getting thru the SA customs hassles, arrived at the Sans Souci lodge, and had a great lunch, started hunting. It is a fenced property, but it is very large, about 150 square miles. We talked about animals available, and the subject of sable came up. Only have one shooter they said, and he has been very shy the last four months. OK, thought nothing of it. Just out riding, looking for buff tracks, hey..... that was.... a sable. Beat on the roof of the bakkie, turn around yes, and a very nice one.
The buffalo were tough. Spread out in small groups, we'd find a track, work it until we saw them, glass them, stalk them until we found the right one. I saw one just at dusk ( again!!!) but Kobus says no, the other one is better. I had no shot on him, so we picked them up next morning, worked several hours to catch up where they had wandered all night etc. Stalked several times to within 30/40 yards, but wind shifts, and a damn cropduster gane survey plane kept flushing them. It was after lunch, skipped it, until we had them close for the last time. They were moving out of the thick stuff about to cross a mile wide wide savannah. Kobus said " if you can't shoot long with those irons, switch to the 375". I kept the double, the four broke out about 100 yards out, when the one we wanted was in the gap, the tracker mooed, and the bull looked over. Bang, he humped up, and the second bang he fell over. The tracker went berserk in Afrikaans, found out later, he was really happy I could shoot, they get lots of clients who can't, and the tracker has the job of being between a couple loaded rifles, and a critter that is dangerous enough before it was wounded.
Triple shocks are the best - top two are from the initial shots on the buff, bottom two are from the coup de grace thru the spine into the chest.
Had to shoot one more gemsbok here too, just had to. Last day, I told Kobus and Whitey ( SA PH) that we were quitting at 1800, so we could enjoy a sunset. At 1755, this gemsbok just appeared, it was a sign.
The rain was on and off the last day, we did get soaked a couple times.
But.... the last sunset.. just makes me want to go back again.
If I can get on again tonight, I'll add some things regarding equipment and what not that worked, and some that needs work.
