Alex Svenson
08-19-2008, 02:37 PM
Monday August 19, 2008
Today was our first day of hunting and it was amazing. We were up at 530am and an hour later we were fed, dressed and ready to go. I met my guide Hene and his tracker by the truck and we inspected the rifles. I always fancied myself as a big tough guy, but Hene made me think twice. At over 6 feet 5 inches and 300 pounds he is a big guy. He spent 25 years in the South African Special forces and has been shot twice, stabbed three times, run over land mines three times and has granade shrapnel still in his body. I would later find out that this guy was a tank. He was guiding me through thick thorns and brush in nothing more than a t-shirt, shorts and sandals.
I rode in the back of the truck as we made our way to the spot of our first hunt. As we drove down the road I got my first daytime glimpse of Afrcia. Everything from the sunrise, sunset to the plants and animals are amazing. Before we started the hunt we stopped to make sure our rifles were properly sited after the flight. Being an avid wing shooter, hunting big game was new to me. In fact, despite using my 30-06 for a few deer, I have not done a lot of rifle hunting. For the trip I had a new 375 H and H Magnum. As I put my cheek to the gun to sight it in, I as so excited that I did not think about the distance from my eye to the scope and like a total amateur wound up with a nice shiner on my nose after the gun kicked. Who knew that the first blood I would draw would be my own… how embarrassing.
On our way to the property, we passed lots of wildlife including Giraffe, Blesbuck, Waterbuck and Kudu. Pulling in, we had our sites set on our first trophy, a male Impala. The Impala was the smallest animal on my list and I thought it would be a great way to break the ice. Let me tell you, hunting Impala is no easy task. They most often travel in large herds that include dozens of females and only one male. These numbers make it hard to stalk to a distance from which to shoot without alarming at least one animal which in terms alerts the rest of them. For most of the first day we stalked and chased Impala. For every step they took, we took three as we tried to stay downwind while attempting to position ourselves in front of them to get a good shot. Despite my best efforts, the herd always managed to stay at 300 yards distance which was a bit too far for me to take a chance on shooting. For me the worst scenario was wounding one and not being able to track it. The morning was disappointing and we returned to the lodge for lunch. With a full stomach I was recharged and we explored the further looking for more Impala. Unfortunately, the afternoon was much the same as the morning as I walked for miles in search of my trophy.
As dusk set in, I started my long walk back to the car when suddenly I noticed a huge herd of Impala start crossing the clearing about 120 yards ahead of me. As I watched and counted, there were dozens of females. One was walking casually as to tease me, knowing I was looking for a Ram. I was so pissed that took aim at it with every intention of shooting it when suddenly the tracker yelled “a Ram is coming!” The lone alpha male was bringing up the rear and was moving quickly. It stopped for a moment to put its sent on some of the trees and just then I pulled the trigger. BANG! Sure I hit it, I lowered my rifle to celebrate before realizing the Impala was actually running off into the thick. Quickly we followed it into the long grass and after 1000 yards found it dead. It was a beautiful trophy with 21 inch horns. My shot was just behind the shoulder and was the perfect start to the trip. Finally, I felt I had redeemed myself in front of my guide and tracker who had not soon forgotten about my accident during the morning at the range.
After taking my Impala to the skinner, I returned back to meet up with Keith and Joe and enjoy a nice spread before turning in early.
Today was our first day of hunting and it was amazing. We were up at 530am and an hour later we were fed, dressed and ready to go. I met my guide Hene and his tracker by the truck and we inspected the rifles. I always fancied myself as a big tough guy, but Hene made me think twice. At over 6 feet 5 inches and 300 pounds he is a big guy. He spent 25 years in the South African Special forces and has been shot twice, stabbed three times, run over land mines three times and has granade shrapnel still in his body. I would later find out that this guy was a tank. He was guiding me through thick thorns and brush in nothing more than a t-shirt, shorts and sandals.
I rode in the back of the truck as we made our way to the spot of our first hunt. As we drove down the road I got my first daytime glimpse of Afrcia. Everything from the sunrise, sunset to the plants and animals are amazing. Before we started the hunt we stopped to make sure our rifles were properly sited after the flight. Being an avid wing shooter, hunting big game was new to me. In fact, despite using my 30-06 for a few deer, I have not done a lot of rifle hunting. For the trip I had a new 375 H and H Magnum. As I put my cheek to the gun to sight it in, I as so excited that I did not think about the distance from my eye to the scope and like a total amateur wound up with a nice shiner on my nose after the gun kicked. Who knew that the first blood I would draw would be my own… how embarrassing.
On our way to the property, we passed lots of wildlife including Giraffe, Blesbuck, Waterbuck and Kudu. Pulling in, we had our sites set on our first trophy, a male Impala. The Impala was the smallest animal on my list and I thought it would be a great way to break the ice. Let me tell you, hunting Impala is no easy task. They most often travel in large herds that include dozens of females and only one male. These numbers make it hard to stalk to a distance from which to shoot without alarming at least one animal which in terms alerts the rest of them. For most of the first day we stalked and chased Impala. For every step they took, we took three as we tried to stay downwind while attempting to position ourselves in front of them to get a good shot. Despite my best efforts, the herd always managed to stay at 300 yards distance which was a bit too far for me to take a chance on shooting. For me the worst scenario was wounding one and not being able to track it. The morning was disappointing and we returned to the lodge for lunch. With a full stomach I was recharged and we explored the further looking for more Impala. Unfortunately, the afternoon was much the same as the morning as I walked for miles in search of my trophy.
As dusk set in, I started my long walk back to the car when suddenly I noticed a huge herd of Impala start crossing the clearing about 120 yards ahead of me. As I watched and counted, there were dozens of females. One was walking casually as to tease me, knowing I was looking for a Ram. I was so pissed that took aim at it with every intention of shooting it when suddenly the tracker yelled “a Ram is coming!” The lone alpha male was bringing up the rear and was moving quickly. It stopped for a moment to put its sent on some of the trees and just then I pulled the trigger. BANG! Sure I hit it, I lowered my rifle to celebrate before realizing the Impala was actually running off into the thick. Quickly we followed it into the long grass and after 1000 yards found it dead. It was a beautiful trophy with 21 inch horns. My shot was just behind the shoulder and was the perfect start to the trip. Finally, I felt I had redeemed myself in front of my guide and tracker who had not soon forgotten about my accident during the morning at the range.
After taking my Impala to the skinner, I returned back to meet up with Keith and Joe and enjoy a nice spread before turning in early.