The Great 1800 era Weltevreden Black powder Rifle hunting Expedition of May 2015

[Gert Odendaal]

Wow unfair you guys had to much fun!!

Members, it may look like a lot of fun, it really was, but keep in mind, we hunted only on foot, the whole day, from the morning to the evening..with a break for brunch...when we do not hunt,we were occupied with the basic chores of camp life...a few more photos of the hunt itself...

The first game was shot by Max van Vuuren, a nice young warthog ...it was his first ever hunt with a black powder hunting rifle....he was ecstatic ....notice the carry pole we devised to fetch the hunted animal ...







The next animal to be shot was an Impala ram , Willie Barnard shot this nice ram after a long walk and stalk process...he used the mountain side with the shadow line to get into shooting position...

This is the hunting party who fetched the impala...everybody tuned in and set off to the hunting site...notice the bucket to fetch the intestines for making droee wors....






A shot through the hart...








Carrying the impala back to camp....a new rule commenced...the hunter do not carry his hunted animal from now on.....

The carry pole....



I am still waiting for photos of MC Heunis `s impala he shot ....let me commence with the rifles we used...I will upload more photos of the animal shot by Willie Barnard as well...

We used black powder rifles from the 1800 era, from a Brown Bess to a Martini Henry and my favorite the .72 Kodiak Express ...unfortunately I did not manage to shot anything but will succeed next time...

Some photos of the rifles used....

[Willie Barnard]

Look carefully at the rifle Max is holding - (the very first photo).
It is a Westley-Richards Monkeytail.
A paper cartridge is loaded, from the rear of the action. This cartridge contains powder, bullet and wad -all enclosed in a rolled paper tube- but no primer.
The primer is put on the nipple, and is activated by the fall of the external hammer. Just like a normal percussion muzzle loader.

At the battle of Majuba on 27 February 1881 most of the Boers used this kind of rifle. When they ran out of paper cartridges, they would keep the breach closed and use it as a muzzle loader.

(We specifically chose the year 1880 for our hunt. That would allow Monkeytails and Martini Henry rifles besides the percussion and flintlock muzzle loaders. The winter of 1880 is also before the start of the hostilities between Boer and Brit. There is a tame Engelsman (on this forum) who was supposed to accompany us. We would hate to have to shoot him. He obviously decided that discretion is the better part of valour, and stayed home just to be safe.)

[Gert Odendaal]

While referring to the chores in the camping set -up...here are a few we need to get to terms with..for those people who think the old people( fore fathers )had a lot of time on their hands...please think again...

Washing clothes....


Fetching wood...




Entertaining visitors from the 21 st century...


Fetching meat....



Baking and reading recipes....



Making shoes to walk in a thorn veld...


Cooking.....




Baking.....



Digging an oven in a river bank....










Feeding the chickens...



Starting fire ....



Roasting coffee beans.....






Making herb medicine for a sick hunter...


Improvising .....



As you can see...so many things to do , so little time...some of the highlights were the leopard visiting our camp calling out with his saw chilling sound, the hyena prowling the outskirts of the camp ..the jackal calling for his mate...the sweet sound of a three spotted owl....it is a shame I can not share these great sounds of the bush with you the members..not to mention the freezing temperatures during the small hours of the night...at one stage Johan Greyling was worried that a hyena has eaten his feet...since it was too cold to feel them...
I will upload more photos when I receive them from MC Heunis and Max van Vuuren...

[Willie Barnard]

One of our expedition members had a severe upper airway infection - headaches, fever and coughing.
As far as bush medicine available at the place and the time of year goes, I had three possibilities:
Fever tea (Lippia javanica) this one was well known to me, and I knew it was effective against pain. it also has a pleasant smell, and a not too bad taste.
Velvet fever berry(Croton gratissimus) I knew the tree, but have never used the medicine.
Lavender bush (Heteropixis natalensis) I knew the tree, and the crushed leaves have a pleasant smell. Never used the medicine though.

I collected leaves from all three and arrived at camp looking like "druid Getafix".

I brewed a tea from each, and now faced the choice: which to give to the patient?

The decision fell on the best known one, the fever tea. I even flavoured it with a teaspoon of honey.
My patient commented that it tasted rather nice, and a few hours later he felt decidedly better. (I think!)

Most of us then started tasting the rest:
Croton gratissimus had a very bitter taste, but it went away after a while.
Heteropixis natalensis, had a bitter taste that lingered, and required repeated mouth rinses to get rid of.

My vote then stays with Lippia javanica.

[nkosi]

Hi Gert & Willie

Fantastic effort!

I think we often forget that in those days it took all day to do the basic necessities. We are very spoilt in the modern era & forget that we have more disposable time (& income) than in any other era of history.

Thanks for the story and photos.

[Von Gruff]

There are so many points of interest arising from the weeks hunting you guys have experienced and shared with us, from the equipment you have gathered to recreate the noted timeframe to the methods used that it is difficult to know where to start.
I do hope there is much more to come.

[Willie Barnard]

Hi Gert & Willie

Fantastic effort!

I think we often forget that in those days it took all day to do the basic necessities. We are very spoilt in the modern era & forget that we have more disposable time (& income) than in any other era of history.

Thanks for the story and photos.

Spot on Nkosi.

I have read in the Voortrekker Louis Trichardt's diary (1836), how their plan to trek from main camp to a certain area for hunting, was delayed by two days because he did not find time to cast bullets for the hunt.

I brought equipment to cast bullets with an open fire as heat source, in stead of a gas stove. Fortunately, we did not run out of bullets, as just like Louis Trichardt, I did not get around to cast the bullets.

I also brought a raw oxhide and some rendered down mutton fat to make rieme (thongs) with. We did not get around to that either.

I did get around to repairing MC's chair with some raw strips of impala skin.


One thing was abundantly clear: Pioneer life in the 19th century was hard!

[GameFarmer]

Willie, did you take any video footage?

[CorditeCrazy]

Looks like a great outing. What happened to the wagon?

[Gert Odendaal]

One of our expedition members had a severe upper airway infection - headaches, fever and coughing.As far as bush medicine available at the place and the time of year goes, I had three possibilities:Fever tea (Lippia javanica) this one was well known to me, and I knew it was effective against pain. it also has a pleasant smell, and a not too bad taste.Velvet fever berry(Croton gratissimus) I knew the tree, but have never used the medicine.Lavender bush (Heteropixis natalensis) I knew the tree, and the crushed leaves have a pleasant smell. Never used the medicine though.I collected leaves from all three and arrived at camp looking like "druid Getafix".I brewed a tea from each, and now faced the choice: which to give to the patient?The decision fell on the best known one, the fever tea. I even flavoured it with a teaspoon of honey.My patient commented that it tasted rather nice, and a few hours later he felt decidedly better. (I think!)Most of us then started tasting the rest:Croton gratissimus had a very bitter taste, but it went away after a while.Heteropixis natalensis, had a bitter taste that lingered, and required repeated mouth rinses to get rid of. My vote then stays with Lippia javanica.

A photo to explain....