Of Kids and Kudus!

**Malan** · 26-07-2016, 23:47

Bit of a tale to share:
I have reseved a hunt at my favourite place in the world exept home for around 12 years now. An open farm in RSAs' Rocky Mountains, Soutpansberg. It is a hard hunt, the body needs about a week to recover after every hunt, but its worth it. The old farm house with no ceiling, a gas freezer, a donkey for warm water and no electricity has a special place in my heart. The fireplace is akasia overcasted, and the braches and leafs has formed a dome, as close to the heat of a fire in a ox wagon steel rim as it dares.

I have grown as a hunter around this fireplace. Back in the day I pulled the bakkie as close as possible and ACDC filled the night ! But time changes all who wants to change as you learn. I came to understand and appreciate nature and hunting over the years. I am now the chairman of our local hunting club with close on a 1000 members. Yip, quite the transformation.

I have shot a few nice bulls there, but only after a few trips as I honed my skills, all with very much the same modus operanti. Get up at 04:00, make ready for the day with enough to eat and drink and drive about 3km to the same spot. From there I hike about 500 meters, that takes around 40 minutes, more of s climb actually up a koppie. I use a head lamp to see where I am going. I sit and wait just under the summit and wait for daybreak to go the last 20 meters. There I sit and wait with the sun rising at my back, casting a golden glow over the western hang of the mountain in front of me with a view almost 180 degrees for about 600 meters.

There I will sit without moving, sometimes for 2 hours before I see an ear or a tail twitching, or a reflection of a horn as a kudu bull turns its head. Sometimes not even far, less than 300 meter, and it was standing there all along, perfectly camoflaged.

So last year late July I was exploring another part of the farm when my phone rings. There is normally no cellphone reception on the farm, so it was quite a surprise to feel the vibration. It was my wife calling, and it had to be importand, she knows theres no reception on the farm. And it was :" I'm pregnant " said the shaky voice. To this day I do not know how I had reception there that day.

Overjoyed I set of back to the camp to share the news. The misses a bit upset at my :" Jis nou gaan ek lekker jag " as there was still four days left of the hunt ! Back at the camp the celebrations started early, and lasted late...

The next morning I was the only one of the hunting party the got up and went hunting. I used a new route up the mountain, the steep climb and enough H20 got ridd of all that needed to be sweated out and soon I reached halfway. I told the guys the night before that I will shoot a kudu and if it was a cow, I was going to get another daugther, and if it was a bull, a boy it will be.

I sat down with my back against a boulder and glassed for that bull, I mos got a daughter already...Not long and I see twin spirals with white tips nodding next to a bush as its carrier picks leafs of the bush. Happy days! The hunt is on as my range finder dails out 560 meters. I move from shade to shade to shade every time the bull feeds as I need to get closer before he decides to move off higher up the mountain. I cant get to close either, I am on a bit of a flat plato and he is on the next up slope, too close and I will loose sight of him as I will get to the foot of the up slope and he will be behind all the trees and shrubs.

I get to a nice sandy part and move along silently. I lie down in the shade of a tree and flick out the bipods on my .308.
I range the bull at 290 meters. This is perfect as I know exactly how many clicks to turn the Vortex PST for the 130gr GS Custom to find its mark. I need a bit of support underneath the rifles stock near the back and my Binocs fits in nicely. I wiggle the binocs into the soft sand and the crosshairs settles on target.

The bull takes a few steps and turns broad side behind a little bush. Its less than a meter behind the bush, and there is only thin little branches between its shoulder and the picture I see through the scope. Two more steps and he stops again. He turns his head towards my, and I gently squeeze.

The thump sound I hear after the bark of the 308 is music to my ears. I roll over on my back and stare into the blue, not a sound to be heard. "Idillies" I think to myself, I could not ask for a better ending.

I got up and walked towards where the bull was standing, and I see the white belly. A very old bull, the white tips almost worn down and his left front hoof worn down round at the front. Getting the bull down the mountain is a story for another day.

My beautiful son, Milner, is born eight months later.

I wanted to share this story and hope you enjoyed it. I am packed up and ready to leave in the morning, back to the same farm.

Happy hunting to all.

**Maroelas** · 27-07-2016, 06:17

Very Nice story!

**Gert Odendaal** · 27-07-2016, 06:25

Malan, excellent write-up, thank you for sharing, it definitely must have been an exceptional experience for you. Beautiful Kudu bull, something to dream over..