A Safari Feature by Daryl Crimp
The Reality of a 20,000-Hectare Wilderness
For three days Gary McMillan padded the sands of the Limpopo as the sun deepened his ruddy complexion. For three days he carefully stepped in the footsteps of his Professional Hunter (PH), Deon, as they chased wisps of grey smoke through the thorns.
We were celebrating another great day hunting the bushveld—there are no bad days on safari—and the hosted safari was operating smoothly and successfully. All hunters were revelling in the experience and a good number of quality animals were coming to the salt, but not without the required effort. Despite the abundance of game, the area hunted was huge, comprising 20,000 hectares, so it was no walk in the park, as Gary was discovering.
When Kudu Test Your Mettle
A full moon was making the animals skittish; they feed longer into the night, drink earlier in the dawn, and bed down sooner. Predators also hunt hard over a full moon, so prey tend to be extra wary. Plus, it was unseasonably cold so the animals were keeping to thick cover.
Big kudu become big for a reason, and PHs will tell you that once they spot you, you have a mere three-second window to get the shot off. In other words, you must shoot quick. Over three days, Gary had a number of windows shut in his face, but he didn’t give up.
Africa looks after those who respect her, and hunters with the right attitude are rewarded with exceptional trophies. Part of it is having the strength to turn down animals in the pursuit of a “better” one, and part of it is having complete faith in your PH. Gary picked up on this quickly and never tried to second-guess Deon. As a result, he collected some magnificent animals after excellent stalks: a buffalo, gemsbok, blesbok, and an impala ram. But the kudu were truly testing his mettle.
Deon’s guiding philosophy remained unwavering throughout the challenge:
“I’m here to do the best for my client and decided we could do better.”
The Final Mistake and the Perfect Conclusion
The ultimate breakthrough required patience, changing tactics, and alert eyes. While moving across the bushveld, a massive bull was spotted off to the right.
Soundlessly, Gary alighted the vehicle as it rolled to a stop and took his .375 rifle. Deon was already off the bakkie, following hand signals and backtracking. Gary caught up and they quickly melted into the thicket.
The heavy set of spiral horns spun to sail away on a sea of thorns, but then the kudu stopped, confused by the two disturbances, and looked back. At last, the animal made a mistake. The .375 fired, straight through an open window, and the kudu bolted.
The bull ran 50 metres and fell cleanly to a heart shot. The old kudu had incredible mass and character, ticking every single box for an exceptional trophy. The hunt had arrived at its perfect conclusion.
Reflecting on the hard-earned success as they admired the bull, Gary mused:
“It almost doesn’t seem right getting it so close to the bakkie.”
Hennie van Wyk summed up the true spirit of the tracking trail perfectly:
“I think Africa has just rewarded you for the effort put in over the past few days.”
