Duikers and orphan meat

[Firebird24]

We had one more day with the cameraman but I was out of money for more animals. We didn’t want to waste a day or the opportunity at more film. So myself and ph Wik did some math and he offered me a couple options. Cull animals are free, but hard to come by since everyone wants to shoot them. Management animals on the other hand are inexpensive and offer lots of opportunities. This year was a booming year for impala and warthogs so we decided to look for cull or management animals and if a monster warthog showed himself. I would take another trophy tusker.
We drove to a high elevation road that meanders along the rim of a plateau. Stopped once in awhile to glass and see what was in the valley below. On the way a small herd of kudu busted and ran to the next ridge away from us. An old cow was in the mix and Wik told me to shoot her if the chance presented itself. She stopped to look back. A bad habit! Wik ranged her at 380 yards and I was already waiting on the sticks. The little seven broke clean and she ran over the top. The 150 ablr passed all the way through and we found her dead not far over the crest of the hill. The bullet hit back in her ribs and exited behind her shoulder on the far side, plenty of angle. This was surprising to me, I have been underestimating this caliber and bullet for a long time!
He pulled the stomach out and left her cooling in the shade and continued on our path, making the most of the morning.
The next stop Wik found a single male impala. A young ram with horn tips that grew in at the top and actually touched. He also had a limp on his front right leg. I was keen to use the sticks but Wik wanted to have me shoot from prone. We had time and the ram was unaware of us so we built a little bench rest with binos and sweatshirts and soon I was rock steady. The little ablr dropped him very literally in his tracks and just over 200 yards. The kudu was an old cull whereas the impala was a management animal.
We were in high spirits as we started back down the road. Then the tracker tapped the roof. A short conversation in xhosan and Wik asked if I wanted a duiker.
Duikers are smaller than my female black lab and have short horns. Five inches would be a big one. I’ve shot two others and didn’t need another but I was feeling the last day and wasn’t going to pass a good opportunity. We stalked down the road to get a bit closer and the I got settled on the sticks. These guys are very High strung I’ve shot them with a .300wm and my .375 and they always run a short ways before they are finished.
This ram had his front half hidden by a bush, which was good for stalking but hiding his vitals. We discussed shooting through this bush which was fine or just shooting as far forward as I could. This works because you don’t want to blow up the cape, but also you need to get the liver or back part of the lungs.
I tucked the crosshairs forward as much as I could, shooting through just a bit of the bush and when everything was calm, I touched off. The shot knocked him down and spun him but he regained his feet. I knew from experience how they can dart off after a perfect hit, so I was ready to take another shot when it presented itself. He was wobbling back and forth but I took him again anyway. So two shots on a tiny antelope whether he needed it or not. He didn’t really but we claimed him without tracking and not much more meat ruined. We took some pictures and called it a good morning.

 

[salmonchaser]

I would have shot that Impala in a heartbeat, he is kinda cool looking.

 

[Firebird24]

After one of my favorite lunches-wildebeest lasagna, we went out for one more walk. I don’t know if it’s actually wildebeest. And I think the secret ingredient is brown sugar. But I really love that stuff. The meat is very similar to beef, maybe more flavor. I don’t remember ever eating duiker. I’m sure they are delicious. I’ve seen them hangin gin the cooler a number of times but can’t remember eating one.
They are certainly an animal of opportunity, most are taken when hunting something else. Many hunters pass them over since they don’t command much trophy status, but I’ve gained a respect or appreciation for them.
With this mornings animals in the skinning shed, we drove away from the lodge. Finally got to our area, based on general wind direction and we started our walk. We bumped some warthogs and on one stalk a trophy nyala busted from us and scared off the warthogs we were sneaking after. We ww were getting food camera stuff and I was having a fine time.
Late into the evening. The pigs start moving into the thick stuff and are replaced by nyala and waterbuck and some of the other, bigger characters.
A noisy Egyptian goose spooked out last good stalk on a boar warthog and we were more or less finished. Crossing through an opening in the addo thorn Wik saw a single file line of half grown warthogs. Evidently we had spooked them at a dostanxe but not terribly and they were just making a show of going toward the nasty brush. Wik threw up the sticks and said any of them would be fine. I picked a front one and when the crosshairs quit wobbling, I shot for the shoulder. Wik said blood was pouring out, clearly a good shot. The tracking was nasty, he had gotten under the thick thorn trees. But then he got into a little creek and had stayed in the water. We finally found him and the tracker dragged him into the field. He was nothing much to look at but the wik said they eat really well. They aren’t expensive and I do love to eat them. . .

 

[Firebird24]

Little pig showing the exit wound. He went a long way with his heart literally shot to pieces.!

 

[Firebird24]

The impala would have looked cool in a group mount with my previous rams-I should’ve planned for that
Game4Africa helps support a loval
Orphanage. But you can’t just drop your dead animal at the front gate and consider it a good donation. You CAN take it to the butchery. Have it cut, wrapped and frozen and take them the meat after it is fully processed. I understand this is a very rewarding process, I have not tried it myself. I do appreciate when management or cull animals get completely utilized in any regard.