So a small deviation from Africa for a moment... I spent a good bit of time preparing for this trip, especially ammunition as, well, this stands between me and whatever critter decides it wants to eat or trample me...!!! After some reading, Lord there is so much information out there and so very many opinions, I decided on pushing the Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilised projectiles out of my .375H&H. There were some highs and lows with this most notably the groups (a high) and the dud primer issues (a low) but I boarded the plane with 45 rounds of what I hoped was going to be the right mix of penetration vs tissue damage...



I had a loooooong conversation with my PH on ammunition while (I figured out after) he was trying to figure out of I had a clue and could shoot. He is in his 60s and has been hunting all his life (two and four legged game) and has spent LOTS of time of big and dangerous critters. He advocates nothing but "softs" for everything bar elephant. The Barnes and Swift offerings being the ones he was most impressed with. He was unconvinced about my choice We had a bit of a pointed discussion (he lectured ) after the first one I fired at game (he had me shoot some cardboard on the first morning nominally to ensure my rifle was zeroed, more like figuring if I could hit a 12x12 bit of cardboard at 100yds).

So...back to hunting.... after the scouting of the aftenoon before we had a plan (wind and Buffalo willing) of where we hoped to get a shot at the heard. After another good three hour walking (in a bloody looooong loop thanks to the wind) I was starting to get that feeling that we were once again a little late and behind. Literally a minute after this thought I was back down on my hands and knees crawling my way toward them all while hoping I could keep a termite mound between us and that the wind would cooperate...!!!

It seemed the hunting Gods were onside (maybe it was though two virgin goats I threw into the volcano the night before, or just some good luck/hunting) !!! I crawledup the side of a termite mound and started to try and get an angle on the bull. It was a pretty tense 10 or so minutes till he was in a position that I could fire...then he was not...geeeze... yes this went on for about 15-20mins till finally he was there clear in front and mostly behind... a little breathing, a little concentration and BOOM. I was heartened to see him knocked off his feet !!!!! Click'ity Clack and I was ready to shoot again but alas he was up and off with the now pounding herd !!! A hop sip and jump back to ground level and I was watching as they thundered off in a cloud of dust !! No need to ask if I hit him, but I did get asked where, shoulder/heart was the goal and I would bet a nut that is where I hit !! (It was at this point I got the soft vs solid lecture with some expletives about "those things behaving just like a solid and being BS...but I digress...) I could see the bull (just so we are clear, I knew he was no world beater when I settled the crosshair on him, but he was "my bull") and watched him peel off from the back of the herd and start to slow at around 150yds... this let me know he was in fact buggered but we still had to get close and make sure....!!

Off we walked (this was the only time my PH retrieved his rifle from the trackers) and he and the lads made for a large termite mound (that same one I took a picture of them on the day before) to try and get a view as to where he went (hopefully not into the close by forest as that would suck !). They were about 1/2 way up and I was moving forward, around this point I said I had him and he was down, he asked me to put another shot in him for safe measure which I did from about 50yds.

And there he was, after all that bloody work !!!





No word beater... he has weak boss' but I was bloody extatic !!!!

So of course there was a period of copious picture taking etc and then my PH (his name in Boet BTW and we have ended up as good mates) and Thomas (Marijuana) started off on the hour walk back to the truck. Obano started to skin... and much to my ABJECT HORROR he produced and commenced this task with a bloody BEAR GRILLS folder...!!!!



I could NOT have this and offered to help (this is a social faux pas it seems !!) so then I offer Obano my Busse for the task and he gladly accepted, I have to say I did love the look on his face when it sailed through everything he swiped with it... the big grin made my day !!!







So in the distance I could hear the diesel rattle of the Landcruiser approaching, Thomas was out front with his machete clearing the low trees, what I did notice was that it semed to have more passengers than I remember coming out with us (it should have just been the one more guy from camp who stayed with and looked after the truck)...