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A Great Afternoon of Hunting
by Tom Lindner

On the third day of the safari, my hunting partner Marlin Davis and I piled into the truck at 6:30 am with our PH, Phillip Ellis and his wife Lande, who is also a PH.  Marlin and I had already taken our impalas, so we were out for other game.  We hunted all morning without either of us getting a shot.  After lunch Phillip and Lande took us to a different area, where we hoped to have better luck.

We soon spotted a small herd of blue wildebeest, and with Phillip’s direction, Marlin picked out a likely target.  The herd stampeded a short distance, and Phillip instructed Marlin to wait until his target turned broadside to us.  Sure enough, the herd stopped and Marlin put a perfect shot onto the point of the shoulder with his iron-sighted 45-70.  The animal staggered, regained his footing and ran about 40 yards before slowing.  The herd vanished into the distance.  As his animal slowed, Marlin put a second round through the ribs and both lungs.  Down went the wildebeest.  The first shot was close to 120 yards and had broken the shoulder and blown up the close lung.  The ammo was the new Leverevolution load from Hornady.

About an hour later, we checked a water/feed area for activity by warthogs.  We glassed the spot from at least half a mile away, and seeing some pigs, decided to make a stalk to see if a large male was present.  While leaving the truck, Phillip explained to me that if a rhino was near the water hole, we would have to quietly back away, rather than risk spooking him.  Anyway, we made a sneak through the thorn brush that took us to within 90 yards and sure enough, there was my big tusker just waiting for my bullet.  The females were coming into heat, and he was very interested in them.  Phillip told me to wait until he came around the females and turned broadside.  I was carrying my BLR in 30-06, stoked with 165 grain Nosler partitions.  Sure enough, the boar came around and stopped behind a female.  I interrupted his revelry with a bullet through his heart and lungs.  He dropped completely but was up and running just as if he had not been shot.  Phillip told me my second shot went just over his back as he stumbled again.  We took off running after him, expecting a long search, but he was laying dead in the trail just 15 yards into the brush.  Phillip said he had nice 7 to 9 inch tusks, but since I had never shot a warthog before, he was a real prize to me.

Now we needed a warthog for Marlin, or a zebra or kudu for either of us.  I went to Africa really wanting to shoot a kudu more than anything other game.  I’ve always admired their elegant posture and spiral horns.  Anyway, after the warthog, I’m pumped up like I’ve never been.  We soon spot a single large kudu browsing in some scattered trees.  After glassing the horns for size, Phillip turns to me and says, “Tom, there’s your kudu.”  I’m sitting in the back of the truck on Marlin’s wildebeest, with blood running all over the floor and little room to stand.  It all seemed to be happening in slow motion.  The kudu was facing us about 120 yards away, and as he turned I knew he was going to run.  He was quartering to us when my first shot took him in the shoulder and into the chest cavity.  He was immediately running to our right; my second shot creased a leg but did no damage.  My third shot broke his right front leg and went all the way through.  He collapsed, regained his footing, and then collapsed again.  This went on a couple of time more, all the while Phillip was shouting “shoot again, no wait, he’s down, shoot again, no wait!!!”  I had my kudu!  I think he is magnificent, what with his 52 inch horns with a 47 inch spread.  I can’t wait for my mount and flat skin rug to get here.  We had to take the rear seat and cooler out of the truck to make room for the game,  We had Marlin’s wildebeest  and my hog and kudu, which made a truck full  of meat as we headed back to the skinning facility.

 

 

 

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