Young eland bull.

**TStone** · 01-10-2014, 17:45

After hunting unsuccessfully for a young eland bull most of yesterday, I stalked and shot this bull early this morning. He was with two larger bulls, one of them a lovely trophy bull. When I first spotted them they were on a hillside above a dry river bed. As the wind was blowing towards them I drove around the hill and started the stalk from the other side.

I expected to find them on top of the hill, where there is a little sheltered plateau, but instead ran into a herd of springbok. I had to wait for the springbok to move as they were between me and where I thought the eland could be. Eventually the bokkies moved away and I crested the hill and looked for the eland on the slope where they had been when I first saw them. They were no where to be seen. That left the, thickly wooded, riverbed. I slowly moved along the hillside, parallel to the river bed until I spotted an eland, or rather patches of an eland, between the trees.

After watching him, for what seemed like an eternity, he moved slightly and I saw that it was the younger bull, I also had a clear shot at his shoulder. He ran 30 meters and went down in a spot that was, barely, reachable by landcruiser.

Range ±80 meters.
Howa .300 win mag with 180 gr Hornady Interbond bullets.
Dressed weight, 239 kg.

**Dale SH** · 01-10-2014, 18:35

TStone.

You just making us jealous now. For most of us our hunting season (money) is now finished and you still get to hunt beautiful animals like this. Eish !

**caverock** · 02-10-2014, 07:13

Well done TStone.

**Maroelas** · 02-10-2014, 07:30

Bugger! Well done TStone!

**boesman10** · 02-10-2014, 09:44

Originally Posted by TStone

He ran 30 meters and went down in a spot that was, barely, reachable by landcruiser.

Well done on a good stalk. I really enjoy Eland meat and that of a young animal is especially soft and tender. If you had a LandRover on the other hand, you would not have had any problem reaching the animal - maybe next time

**TStone** · 02-10-2014, 13:55

Originally Posted by boesman10

If you had a LandRover on the other hand, you would not have had any problem reaching the animal - maybe next time

We run three Landcruisers and one Landrover Defender. I don't laugh at Landrover jokes anymore, I know they are not jokes but the truth :)

**arthur007** · 02-10-2014, 14:00

Well done TStone,
What an awesome way to spend a day.
Congratulations.

**ruuns** · 02-10-2014, 19:29

Congratulations on a fine hunt

**Messor** · 02-10-2014, 20:49

You lack kudu hunting time, admit it.

You are now subconsciously shooting animals that roughly weighs as much as a nice kudu bull :)

**TStone** · 02-10-2014, 21:10

Originally Posted by Messor

You lack kudu hunting time, admit it.

You are now subconsciously shooting animals that roughly weighs as much as a nice kudu bull :)

True, we do have kudu but not a lot, considering the size of the reserve. I do still have to shoot one for myself this year. For some reason I prefer kudu, for meat, to any of the larger antelope, excepting gemsbok.

Kudu bulls are only a little heavier than half that weight here though.

I do miss the kudu hunting in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.