A young man a dream a water buck the pleasure of sharing.

[treeman]

Long story short !
Naaaa - long story left long, I know ya like it that way.
Two years ago I worked on a farm out Nanaga way, thats the coastal area between PE and Grahamstown, typical coastal Milkwood - Wild Plum sea sand forest merging into that black sand so typical of very geologically young soil.
This is the land of Bushbuck varying from grey to black and bush pig still seen by day, and more recently Kudu as well.
On day two I managed to penetrate the farmers keep strangers at a distance general defense. She the farmer and farmers daughter married a proper Englishman with no interest in farming - so she runs the farm with her father and hubby does other things - A interesting scenario indeed. While working pleasantries and gentle polite inquiries were made and we learnt about each other and our families and that we would likely have been friends if we were closer geographically - her ol man is a proper British country side old man.
She asked what I did when I disappeared on the farm while work was being done, and I told her of watching animals and liking trees insects snakes water stones grass and cliffs and hunting. She told me that she had a great sadness for here 11 yr old who so loved exactly as I did and so badly wanted to hunt, but with her father not being interested in hunting, her husband same and preferring indoors to the bush and she being a woman who had never touched a gun, it was just one of those things the boy had to understand.
So me being me - the clown I am, I stood up put my hand out which she confusedly took and shook it merrily " hi I am David - your sons new best friend". " no I do not want to hunt on your farm, I do want to take your boy hunting - in spirit I too have then hunted".
I did not mention it again but wrote on invoice - Cell number ***** call when boy needs that hunt.
Few months later - half year about I got the call - " will you really take my boy hunting ? ". " Yes I get a thrill out of little boys first hunts, kinda know that kid will remember me forever". It was arranged and each hunting season I get the call, " Hello Dave, how you - would you take my boy again this year". WHAT A PRIVILEGE.
Today 3 hunts later I learnt that as far as she knows I am the only person that has ever hunted on that farm.
I got the boy his first kudu - a little 20 inch bull as befitting of a young man with inch's too gain over the years and today when asked "my boy are we hunting for meat or are you chasing after big horns ?", The young man answered me "Horns Uncle Dave - I want just one big horns" - a honest answer by a boy with dreams.
Here is how we ended day today.

[Ds J]

Well done!

And I must admit I am jealous of the time you get to spend outside.

[treeman]

Look at that face - in each pic, look at the radiance !.
Well we drove the farm roads into hills with intention of spotting a kudu far far away and working our way by stalking to that Kudu. See a kudu kilometers away and do a walk and stalk in its direction, hunt along way with a reasonable insurance that there is a animal in area at when we get there if we get there with out finding something along way. It a system that works when you only have 07:30 to 17h00 to do a hunt. Each time so far we found our own animal in route to one seen from bakkie.
Today we spotted a young bull standing in the coastal Mimosa White thorn, dunno how I saw it - but ya just the feet under the tree at like a km - just looked outa place those straight lines - glassed it and called it.Was about 08h00 + The wind was wrong and we had to walk far NW to make a U Turn back to young bull - that would be our stalk . After a brisk uncaring downwind walk of about half KM we made a more cautious across wind stalk of about 500 - 750 m glassing and studying every 20 - 30 m of way. By 11h00 we turned into the wind and went real slow. We found a beautiful black Bush Buck and would likely have taken it with a bow, but farmer said they do not want Bush Buck hunted, some time later we came onto another really big old ram, but no !.
It must have 10 mins after that that Cody spotted a head sticking above a hill - it was a Water buck ewe laying down behind a hill crest. The subject was discussed with boy and it was generally answered with "please Uncle Dave - this is my chance". _____ Are we allowed to shoot Water Buck?" - "yes Uncle Dave - please Uncle Dave".
We started anther down wind cross wind and upwind - and suddenly long before expected there sticking out the grass were too long horns - yusslike ? at 70/80 m they impressive ornaments. Sticks came out .270 was put up and a shooting position was found. I spoke to the boy all through this and reminded him not to touch trigger, not to jerk - check if there is any branch's twigs in bullet path, gently check list reminders. The bull sensed something and stood up and I admit I lost a bit of faith in Ol Faithfull, my word guys, a male Water Buck Bull is a big animal, I often say the .270 is borderline for a Kudu bull, - I must say I did not feel confident now. While all this was going on in my head and gently feeling boys confidence and sight picture shoot position etc he said
," Uncle Dave there is a branch I am not sure of". I then new he was capable and not of buck fever status. As we inched 3 ft across with bull standing frozen in position scanning his domain down hill I slipped the 308 N/M onto the shooting sticks. The young man looked at me and I whispered "use mine - its better".
"Tell me just before you shoot" - " " now Uncle Dave" - "remember - forget trigger watch the scope and cross and let your finger do its own thing slowly, keep your brain eye on spot you shooting ". The shot sounded, a hit came back the animal disappeared Cody said "thats a hit'.
We picked up swapped rifles dusted off, exchanged questions and took a slow walk too standing spot, no blood, and a mess off spoor, must have been a good few animals we did not see. Followed one spoor to fence and called wrong animal - hoping it was not in fence jumping condition. Followed another same story - and another. Decide it must have turned down one of the paths - followed them - no luck.
That sick hollow feeling a hunter knows so well, just how big a farm is and just how much space too lose a animal there is.
We split up and tried own theories, I walked down all time and found spoor followed spoor - was easy because it rained night before and each print was dry ground exposed under wet ground. It started raining again - I F*** d and dammited a lot and stood there thinking " now we fucked. As I stood there I noticed a piece of plastic which had irritated me where we first tracked and turned back. What if it was the one we thought - what if it could not jump fence - what if it got to fence - last bit of oxygen depleted - turned from fence, that bush there. Got to bush and there it was.
called boys and loaded up.
One very happy little boy - one mom happy for her sons happy.
................me - well ya, I had hunted ..............one does not have to have killed to have hunted.

[Pirate]

Nice

That must be the longest silencer I've ever seen...

[TStone]

Well done, Dave! On some of my most memorable hunts, I was not the one who pulled the trigger.

[treeman]

Nice

That must be the longest silencer I've ever seen...

********************
It works, I really do not like long guns, but being Magnum it needs 26" + barrel. The rifle was built by Rosendales mated on a K98 action and has a 26.75" barrel and I decided I was not going to cut a Gunsmith built gun. The volume for 30 cal magnum suppressor was calculated and I put 30" as maximum barrel length. The volume 3.25" forward was calculated using maximum diameter possible with out raising scope mounting. The remaining volume needed was worked out back along barrel. Thats the result - thats what I needed and thats how what I needed turned out.
It works , but not as well as I thought - I think the area around barrel is not as effective as forward area, should perhaps be calculated at different effective rate.

[wynand.dewinnaar]

Well done, Dave! On some of my most memorable hunts, I was not the one who pulled the trigger.

+1 on that score


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[pre 64]

Very nice Treeman,on so many levels.
Well done.

[264WinMag]

Well done Treeman. Can't wait for my boy to get bigger that we can hunt together.

How much does a waterbuck bull dress out?


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[treeman]

[QUOTE=264WinMag;1328186]Well done Treeman. Can't wait for my boy to get bigger that we can hunt together.

How much does a waterbuck bull dress out?
***********
figures I was given were 140 kg.
Gees you must see the skin on these things, its like a cm thick on back and blunts a blade in a few strokes. I am beginning to doubt my steel quality