6.5x55: First wildebeest.

[TStone]

It was, actually still is, a thoroughly miserable day here in the Southern Free State. It is bitterly cold, which is fine for hunting, and the wind has been howling since early this morning, which is not really conducive to hunting. I went hunting anyway.

Strong wind is a double edged sword when it comes to hunting, it makes long range shooting very challenging but it does actually make stalking easier, despite the fact that animals are a lot more nervous on windy days. Anyway, I decided to make the most of it and hunted the more thickly vegetated kloofs instead of the open plains where the wind not only drift your bullets off target but actually moves your body around.

Despite the wind I managed to fill my quota for the day, including this brindled gnu with a rather interesting horn deformation. I stalked to within 148 meters of a mixed herd of springbok and wildebeest and took the shot, standing, from shooting sticks. The bull was quartering towards me and the 130 grain Accubond from the 6.5x55 broke his right shoulder and punched through his heart.

The bull ran around 150 meters before going down, he was stone dead when I reached him but there was no blood spoor. His chest cavity was filled with blood when we opened him though.

Almost forgot, he weighed 220 kg on the hoof, 133 kg carcass in skin.

The little Howa and the gnu.



Deformed horn.



Shot placement. Important.

[GameFarmer]

Well done. Lovely shot and with a great caliber.

PS: If the weather is anything like here in Stellenbosch where we are freezing our balls off, you deserve the hunter of the month award!

[Bokman]

That is what is called a pot shot! Well done.

[carlp]

I think we should get KPMG do a measurement on that hart before you get the dead center award of the year

[Messor]

The bullet recovered?

[TStone]

The bullet recovered?

No. It is probably somewhere in the digestive apparatus of the wildebeest. Nonetheless, it obviously did what it was designed to do.

I do have one that I recovered from a warthog though, angling shot that broke the spine. Will weigh it and post a photo.

[Messor]

Post it next to an unfired bullet for comparison.

[Messor]

By the way I just came back from my afternoon walk, jy sit net aan oor die koue :)

[TStone]

By the way I just came back from my afternoon walk, jy sit net aan oor die koue :)

Well, you are the naked spear fisherman, cold probably means nothing to you :)

[Rigby]

well done , nice shot and nice bull