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  1. #1
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    Default Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    It just so happened that during my absence from Gunsite I kept on hunting, imagine that :)

    So on the first day of May this year we went to our annual kudu hunt in the Postmasburg region, family farm to the north, more or less where the Kalahari begins. Ever seen that movie “No country for old men” ? Well if they could name that place similarly it would be something like “No country for people that aren’t real men” . Basically everything is out to get you, first and foremost is that damn haak and steek bos, there are many places where you simply cannot walk, if you venture into it then you will be stopped, and punished by loss of blood. Secondly is water, well water here isn’t a problem because there aint none. If you find yourself hunting on the wrong date then temperature also doesn’t help, as it was probably about 26-30 degrees for most of the days, and went down to zero each night, bonkers desert like temperatures.



    Now, where to start, let’s start where we always start, campsite. This year we stopped at the farmhouse and asked my father to make himself some coffee, now I know this was a bit rude, as the youngest men there we should have made it for him, but we planned on walking the couple of clicks(about 5) over the mountain to the campsite simply because it was drawing to day’s end and kudu highway was directly through our campsite, and with those darn big ears we couldn’t risk scaring them off with a bakkie. We had the gentlest stroll over the mountain simply to take in fresh air, kings of our domain recharging batteries worn down by civilization. Well most of the walk we also pondered what the hell we would do the rest of the weekend if we shot our kudu on the first day? Alas, we were lucky and didn’t have any success.



    Camping the night, first night always braai, second night potjie, third every single thing(a hell of a lot of food)because angering the Karoo mother who packet in enough food to feed an army by returning it is something that will be the end of Chuck Norris. Anyways, braai’d a little, drank a little, clearly not enough because we were still thirsty the next day, and went to bed with expectations of the great hunt that lied ahead. Next morning we got up, only me and my brother would hunt, my father wanted to return to the farmhouse and pull the dompelpomp that feeds the house, it had a leak somewhere and his motto is to work, no more no less. Anyways walking the mountains is very hard on the body(even us) and we would better cover ground as 2 people. Walked all day, this mountain than the next, and the next, probably 15 clicks for the day, nothing, nada. Now as I explained in my previous writings you simply cannot walk the plains, and if you find yourself in the plains you cannot see jack, just 30cm to the bush in front of you, so you keep to the mountains and hunt from above, you can do the reverse but then recovery of the animal becomes a bitch. So when we arrived at campsite with the sun fast setting making firewood had us going yippee…….not. Potjie done, stomachs full, mild drinking as usual, bed.


    Next day, last official hunting day, we got up long before dawn and drove to the other side of the farm, there is a koppie there where we wanted to be before sunrise, from there you have about 5 clicks of visibility all around, so we would be able to see the migratory paths to the water and back, and hunt along them. Nothing during the morning, lot more walking, still thirsty from not drinking enough, eyes on the binocs, sudden silence, we see a bull in the vlakte over yonder a couple of clicks away, all ailments and tiredness gone, we’re in stalking mode. Now for the youngsters, what the F to do now, you cannot shoot it over there(debatable, I can) , and it you cannot see on the plains, what now? Well firstly, and this is about the most important thing, make sure you take in every single detail of the landscape, print it into memory so that you can use markers when on the ground, yes you can do it, evolution gave it to you X-box took it away somehow but try your best. Down there everything looks the same, you need landmarks.

    We stalk down to the location, + - 30min, now what, the bushes looks a lot higher than from the mountain, duh!, trouble. Yet what is this, small marks on the ground, as if something disturbed the soil, what can it be, footprints, aha! Now for the easy part, we have to stalk a kudu, the antelope with the best hearing in the world on its tracks, now why did I say easy again? Anyways, the message is clear, we covered thirty clicks in 2 days, when us and the kudu eyeballs each other it’s on, no staring contests, his ass is grass, we rely on 20 years of shooting ability and bring him down. We track maybe 20 to 30 min, hard to say, adrenalin slows down time much like an event horizon. And then, after 30 clicks of blood and guts, the same thing happened as year before, tiddelyly-tiddelyly-tiddelyly-tiddelyly and another darn ly, cell phone, my father looking for help because a 30 meter pipe full of water is f-ing heavy to pull. At that point in time the kudu 5 meters away from us on the other side of the bush goes “ WHAT THE FUNK!!” , and stand still, hell almost had you there he broke ranks and ran like hell, we run around to bush to find somewhat of a clearing, war! Now young people please don’t take running shots, it’s hard and unethical if you can’t shoot, we could have easily kwessed and tracked for another day, learn from our mistakes.


    Anyways, we did not miss, my brothers first shot with my .270 Howa and 130gr swift scirocco’s hit bang and the shoulder, something is wrong, the kudu doesn’t tumble, his second hits him in the neck, down he goes with a thunder. We grab the doppies still flying through the air and find it amusing how little pain we felt(came later) while running like bolt through the haak and steek bosse. The young bull is not done yet, he gets up and rises for the last time as my brother puts a round at the back of his skull, with great skill, unmatched as a hunter I tell you, success. Back at the house the shots could be heard, after the first my father said “there’s my sons, after the second he waited, after the third he told my neef nope, not them, they only shoot 1 shot at a time, sorry dad, have some kudu biltong and forgive. The young bull, perhaps 3 years old we judge him, gave us the most remarkable hunt I have ever been involved in, tracking a kudu by its tracks alone on a windless day, truly something I might never experience again.



    Anyways, the perfectly placed bladskoot did not bring him down as the bullet tumbled, perhaps catching a small twig, it broke ribs which did cause a lot of damage to the lungs, a definite kill shot, but one that would have needed tracking. The neckshot was a kamskoot, it shocked him down but he would have fully recovered. The bullet to the head killed, as expected.




    Gazillion of these VVVV, brave buggers, brave but stupid.



    As the sun set on the last day in the veld we sat down and seemed to be staring into the future, wondering when we will have to pass the torch to our sons, and if they would remember the hunts of old……………

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Very nice Messor!

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Nice write-up, thanks for sharing.
    One too many wasted sunsets and one too many for the road .........

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Lovely country, real hunt, thanks for sharing. Oh yeah, get a real caliber, something like a .30-'06, don't need to shoot nothing thrice, bullets arrive point on. But then, what do you expect hunting with a Japanese rifle:)

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Quote Originally Posted by TStone View Post
    Oh yeah, get a real caliber, something like a .30-'06, don't need to shoot nothing thrice, bullets arrive point on. But then, what do you expect hunting with a Japanese rifle:)
    I would have told you to f-off if you didn't also have 2.

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Quote Originally Posted by Messor View Post
    I would have told you to f-off if you didn't also have 2.


    You carry a cellphone while hunting?

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Great read, thanks.

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Quote Originally Posted by TStone View Post


    You carry a cellphone while hunting?
    No, I hate cellphones, mine was in the glove compartment of the bakkie for the whole duration.
    The caveman brought his, go figure.

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    Default Re: Messors Postmasburg trip, part two!

    Quote Originally Posted by Messor View Post
    No, I hate cellphones, mine was in the glove compartment of the bakkie for the whole duration.
    The caveman brought his, go figure.
    We all have our weak points, even cavemen.

    There is no worse feeling than pulling off a stalk that would make a bushman proud just to have it ruined by a cellphone.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Antlion View Post
    Great read, thanks.
    +1

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