FIRST ELAND HUNT

[Logs]

Disclaimer, fair amount of detail so a longer read...

The weather reports leading up to the Saturday showed dismal and wet conditions. This was a late Friday arrival, hunt on Saturday and depart midday on Sunday trip - only Saturday to hunt, maybe early on Sunday morning as well. We had light rain on the Friday night which was still on and off when we woke up on Saturday morning. My excitement had been building for some time, a restless night, and found myself at 04h00 studying downloaded images of Eland shot placement. This was to be my first eland hunt with me behind the rifle, as well as my first animal with this rifle.

With the cloud and mist, the daylight only started to peak through around 06h40, and the two of us headed off in the vehicle to the viewpoints from where we had planned to do some glassing. The mist was thick enough to make more than half of them useless to us. We found an eland cow, but she was in a totally inaccessible area for recovery, even if we had quartered and carried it out. This was a meat hunt, so we were unperturbed if it ended up being a cow or bull. The rain started again, heavier than before, so we headed back for a quick breakfast and coffee around 09h30. We headed back out, the weather was starting to lift, but game movement was slow. We were very lucky to a Serval female with her kitten in tow, I have never seen a kitten before and only seen adults at night on other occasions.

Finally, we spotted a lone eland from a very high position, and it was right at the bottom of the valley, the animal was standing and was fairly settled next to a river. From the distance we spotted it, we couldn’t make out if it was a cow or bull, but it looked to be either a mature cow or young bull. The time is now 11h20. If we commit, this is likely it for the day, the stalk down and the return will leave little time for the afternoon if we don’t get this animal. We decide to push the button.

We stripped down our kit to the minimum, and even left our bino’s behind. Two rifles, shooting sticks, and a small backpack, off we go. The plan was to get into a drainage line that leads down to the river, and once we got there to hug the bank dotted with wattle trees until we could get to a shooting position which we had identified from the viewpoint. We got into the drainage line which at one point gave us access to a 200m natural terrace leading towards the animal but well above it, we left the drainage line and walked the terrace to a set of rocks where we would be able to see the animal from. We had considered a shot from this area, but I wasn’t comfortable in what we estimated to be a 275 - 300m shot with gusting wind, thankfully that wind is blowing strong into our faces. The eland is a young bull and looks to have a good body on him. We get ourselves back to the drainage line and follow it to the river. We won’t see the eland again for a while.

Once we hit the river, we began our fight with the brambles, after 50m we decide to turn back as they make us slow and noisy. This was a serious bramble field. Time to cross the river and pursue from the other side, with the intention of crossing over again to get to the shooting position. Off with the boots and we cross the river, it’s not the depths of winter yet but the water is cold enough to put a serious wince on your face. We headed upriver on the opposite bank, and the bush was thick. We find an area where the eland have been bedding down overnight, and within about 30m we are forced to get back into the river. We make the most crucial decision of the hunt, we opt to keep our boots on and continue the stalk from within the river – the wind is blowing directly at us, the river masks any noise we could make, and the wattle trees lining the banks completely conceal us. We walked upriver for about 200m, knee deep in some parts, and the feet are basically numb by the end of it. Note to self, waterproof boots keep water in just as well as they keep it out.

We got to the predetermined shooting spot and can’t see the eland, after a few minutes we decide to get closer, and end up crossing the river again. Scope adjustment to X3. Taking cover behind a mound, we still can’t see the animal. We whisper our next move and conclude that the animal has either spooked or bedded down. A few more peaks over the mound, standing higher and higher each time – horns visible through the grass. We are almost on top of this animal, bedded down and relaxed. What now? I can’t get a position to, and don’t want to shoot it lying down, and it might end up resting until late afternoon. We decide to purposefully bump it, from a crouch position I get the rifle up on the sticks which are at their maximum splay. My friend and I stand up slowly together, and I brought the sticks and rifle up with me. On standing my mate gave the ground a small scrape with his boot, and the eland got up, jogging away from us. I follow him in the scope, waiting for him to turn. He went about 20m before turning, quartering towards, not the shot I wanted but I took it as he stopped. The impact reverberated over the front half of his body, and the tell-tale front leg lifted in the air as he ran from right to left. Given the quartering towards shot, each of us put one insurance shot into him and we went down within 30m of where he was standing for the first shot. On inspection the insurance shots weren’t necessary, but better than two exhausted guys having to follow-up on a wounded eland. The shot went off at 12h40, all in a 1h20min stalk in some demanding terrain. We paced it out, we had got to 42m from the animal when he was bedded down, and the shot was at approx. 65m.

A few quick photos as we needed to field gut before hiking back up to the vehicle, fetch the Landcruiser, and staff to help us load. That hike straight back up was not fun.

Lessons learned:
· Fitness is a huge asset when hunting, and unacclimatised altitude is a killer. I had neither.
· Bonded bullets provide good results, but next time I’ll hunt eland with a mono. The shot missed the major bones, as well as entry and exit from the ribcages went between the rib bones.

o I used a Federal Fusion 180 grain, factory ammo. Stated MV of 2700 fps out of my 30-06.
o The expanded bullet stopped under the skin just behind the opposite shoulder.

This was most definitely the most challenging and rewarding hunt of my life, it’s going to take a lot to beat it.

[Logs]

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[Logs]

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[Epsilon]

Nice one!
What area was this?

[Logs]

Nice one!
What area was this?

Thanks Epsilon, it was in the Southern Berg on a private farm.

[Desperatezulu]

Well done! Still doesn't look like the easiest recovery there!

[Logs]

Well done! Still doesn't look like the easiest recovery there!

Thanks DZ.

Thankfully there's an access road that runs on the valley bottom, so the Cruiser got right up to it. If we'd used the road for the stalk he would have seen us from 500m away. An animal of that size demands time and effort. By the time it was skinned by the staff, we then split and quartered, it was 17h30 by the time we closed the cold room door.

[Digby]

Enjoyed the story, thanks

[DaavG]

Epic well done!!

[Methos]

Thanks for the write up! Congrats on the hunt!