Tau's Africa hunting.

[Tau]

Hi all I am a conservationist/ hunter from South Africa. I love a good hard walk and stalk hunt, however we need to do cull hunts every now and then. So yes some of my animals won't make SCI, but their steaks tasted as good. I will post a couple you can ask question etc.

First one a Black Wildebeest that I never cared to measure the horns as it was my first Longdistance hunt at 420m. Shot in Middelburg, Gauteng. 7mm RM 150gr Barnes TTSX.

 

[Tau]

By far the most animals we hunt in the South of South Africa and Namibia is Springbok. Either on Walk and Stalk hunts or on driven hunts that many people do not approve of, however it is a sustainable low impact hunt. My favourite is a good early morning walk before it gets to hot. These animals have the ability to keep their unborn lambs back for up to 4 months if the rains haven't come yet. In good years the multiply by up to 40 % if managed correctly. These pictures are from a farm we harvested 40 rams in 6 months. The numbers exploded afterwards. Rememeber fences have destroyed the natural migration routes of these animals so we need to mange the numbers if pressure on the veld get to high.

 

[Tau]

Some more Springbok Rams that was culled.

Sorry only realised the blood on pic one, how do I remove? Sorry.

 

[Tau]

Then the African animal that can really test you stamina if the wind is not blowing and they keep moving. The Cape Eland. In my opinion the best meat in the world and a real amazing animal to hunt. I have walked days without firiing a shot and then booked a 3 day adventure hunt and stumbled across a Eland 30 min into the hunt and shot it at 40m. You go prepared and hope for the best. If they are on a big open farm and start moving around you won't easily get one if you spooked them.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Wow, thanks for sharing. It is a dream of mine to hunt in Africa one day.

How big are the eland? They are amazing looking animals.

Steve

 

[IdahoCTD]

Eland are big like a moose. Maybe not as big as a AK/Yukon moose but bigger than our moose here in the lower 48. We got in close to some several times while we were sneaking on some kudu.

 

[gillettehunter]

Thanks for the pics. Looks like a lot of fun.
This is a great year to hunt Africa. Some great deals out there. The Rand to dollar is about 15:1. First time i wen it was like 7:1. They have had some drougth in some areas so a lot of farmers need to take off some animals. Finally with the oil crash a lot of people aren't going to Africa that normally would. Hence some very good prices. If interested I can point you to where you can find them. I am not an agent and have no financial involvement. Bruce

 

[Tau]

Eland in different areas also differ in size. I am talking Cape Eland here and not Lord Derby Eland that is found in Central African countries. The biggest I can say with certainty is 450kg clean carcass. No skin,head, legs, head and gutted. So a clean carcass. My biggest was 385 kg. So a 1000kg + animal does exist and more.

The family groups can be very large in reserves or farms that can support large numbers of Eland. The North of Namibia is my favorite area to hunt them. The thicker trees and shrub area make it a challenge. I have not hunted them in the North of South Africa, but it will also be good hard hunting. They are highly adaptable animals and can be found in the Kalahari desert and the thick Bush veld of Mozambique and Zambia. They can move vast distances between watering points. They are mixed feeders and focusing on only one area to hunt them will be futile.

 

[Tau]

We are blessed with Beest species. Not all related, but the Dutch settlers gave them proper names. Don't let their size fool you. They are super hardy and won't just drop.

Firstly the cousin of the fastest antelope in Africa the Topi is the RedHartebeest or as we know it the Rooihartebeest.

The name is dutch:
Rooi -Red
Hart- heart and reflects on the heart shape that is formed by the horns if it looks straight at you.
Beest - cattle, but when you wound it it can become beast. These animals are super hardy and have shown many a hunter the countryside.

In Southern Africa we have the Redhartebeest and the Tsessebe. In east Africa they have a couple more species in this family.

Then there is the Blue and Black Wildebeest. They are part Gnu family. The one's you see on Discovery crossing the Serengeti or Masai Mara plains resembles our Blue wildebeest. In Southern Africa we get the Blue Wildebeest, also called the Striped Gnu as there is shadow stripes on the front quarter. The Black Wildebeest is a little smaller and lost some of it's marble after Noah offloaded them off the Ark. They will get up in the middle of the day and run around in circles at great speed. It has to do with protecting areas and showing the females how strong I am, however sometimes the entire herd does it. This is probably a sign to predators that "we are strong and fit don't try to catch us".

I have had my longest days in the veld looking for clients wounded Wildebeest. The animals are super hardy, and the black skin hides blood brilliantly. So finding the correct animal in a herd is not always easy. My best advise is take a proper Heart long shot and then give them time. If they realize they are being tracked they will cover km's in minutes and then the work starts. If they get up after the perfect shot stay calm that is what they do. Words like Barnes, Northfork, GS Custom and Nosler make no difference to them. They don't just flop over and die like some animals, they have been proving to the world their entire lives how healthy and strong they are and will do this till the end. It is not strange to see a animal get up after a proper shot and start running full tilt just to expire at 60km/h and smash stone dead into a bush.

It is not just all Campfire stories. Just like the Gemsbok/Oryx they have a large blood circulation network in the nasal canals called the Reggea. It is cartilage structure that has veins that transfer blood around. The service area of these channels and the nasal cavity help to cool the blood down using the air passing from the noise to the lungs. This helps to cool the core temperature of the animal down in the heat of the desert summers. However now this means a larger circulation system that can still give the animal oxygenated blood after it has been shot.

Truly a magnificent animal and a great hunt. I have been on many hunts of these animals, but admit I get the sweats beforehand.

 

[Tau]

A large Red Hartebeest my Nephew shot.

 

[Tau]

Then the perfect desert animal. The Oryx or Gemsbok. If you are from Namibia this is probably the first "big" antelope you will hunt. I had to work on an a Game ranch for many seasons before I was allowed my first Oryx hunt. Before that it was just Springbok. They are always seen in pictures roaming the desert, but they will literally adapt to any environment. The only thing they struggle with is very wet environments. They tend to get a beating then from parasites in these environments. However in the desert the only thing that will outlive them is the rocks. They can go days without water and can adapt to eating plants and roots that will give them moisture. They will dig waterholes and find water in dry riverbeds. I think they are beautiful and brilliantly adapted.

 

[gillettehunter]

On my first safari I wounded a red hartebeast. My shot literally was just 1 inch too low.... He covered close to 4 miles before we got him the next day.... I thought we were not going to get him at all.
Gemsbuck are the size of a raghorn bull elk and can soak up the lead too. My first one was about 350 yds away with a 20 mph crosswind. Didn't account enough for bullet drift.... I wound up hitting him 3 of 4 shots before he went down. Luckily he ran across a open hillside where I could keep shooting... Lots of fun. Bruce

 

[Tau]

The Kudu is probably the best known Mountain hunting Animal in Southern Africa. It is not always teh toughest to get down, but they are not called the Grey ghost for nothing. It is ridiculous how softly they can move around in a thicket or rocky mountainside. They are browsers and in good years they are super selective on what they eat, moving from bush to bush eating the youngest leaves.

I have the opportunity to hunt them in the South of Namibia on my own on family property. I am preparing a solo 3 hunt at the moment in June. I will be packing in and out of the property, it is about 8000ha.