Bow hunting walk and stalk has always and will always be the ultimate challenge in hunting. Over the years of hunting this way in the Eastern Cape I have successfully bagged a lot of animals. One however has been eluding me all the time. The mountain Reedbuck. This animal lives in the hills and mountains and its colour blends into its surroundings so well. But this is only the small part of trying to hunt this specie. Their eye sight is superb. They can spot you well before you have even started your hunt and their characteristic whistle soon tells you that the game is up even before you have started.
I have been targeting the reedbuck specifically and when I was invited on a weekend hunt by my friend Shane to a farm that I knew had reedbuck I immediately said I am in.
We arrived that afternoon and setup camp in the bush as the owner of the farm allows us to camp in the veld with our tents and gear. When we got up the next morning the mist was thick and everything was wet. This was perfect for a walk and stalk as now I had the mist to do away with their good eye sight and the silence of the wet ground for the stalk.
I got to the top of the hill in the mist but did not see a reedbuck. I decided to sit and watch as the mist lifted to see if I could spot them. I carried on my hunt only to hear the” I see you” whistle of a reedbuck female standing 80 meters from me. I had been glassing and did not see her or the other three with her. Man these animals can blend in with their surroundings. Once again the score was Reedbuck 100 me 0.
Well that is walk and stalk.
I decided to give the afternoon a miss and take up the challenge again in the morning.
The next morning Shane (also a bow hunter and PH) decided to change the strategy and the two of us would walk together. Four eyes would be better than two.
If we spooked them now there was a chance that they would run straight onto the reedbuck and end the stalk before it had even begun. So we slowly exposed ourselves and caught the attention of the one cow. Once spotted we slowly moved back into the cover of some shade. It was not long that all the cows were now looking in our direction with ears spread. Now we had to wait and hope the Kudu would move off slowly in the right direction. After what seemed forever they slowly started moving down away from us and the reedbuck. The stalk was on.
We moved slowly along the ridge with the wind in our faces and the sun behind us, things were looking up. We got to the bush that we had marked and knew that the buck would now be close within 100 meter area. We now moved as one taking every step with purpose .Our eyes and ears straining for any movement or sound.
Shane suddenly froze and gestured to a small bush 45 meters up to the right of us. We both glassed at the bush to see if what we presumed was a buck behind the bush. It was only the flick of the ear that gave it away. Their colour blends them in so well that even with a great pair of binoculars at 45 meters you cannot make them out against the background.
The hunt was now really on. We removed our shoes and started off towards the reedbuck. We had no cover and slowly covered the next 20 meters to a small patch of thorn bushes no higher than knee high. Here we got spotted and had to freeze in crouching position. To say this was painful is an understatement. To sit in a crouching position while you are stared down from above is no joke. We sat and waited till we could see the reedbuck ram was no longer staring in our direction and was now starting to feed again.
Shane ranged the bush in front of the ram and told me 20 meters. The bush behind the ram was 30 meters. We could not range the ram due to the bush being in the way. I now knew the ram was at about 25 meters as I could see he was standing clearly between the two bushes. This is when Shane whispered if he could take my bow and shoot it. I think the look that I gave him told him the answer.
The problem was that the ram was behind the bush and I could not get the shot in. I needed to move two meters to my left to get a shot in. The only problem was that there was no cover. The decision was made and I started to move. Shane held my belt so that we could move as one. We had gone the two meters when the ram looked up. In a split second I knelt down, drew and came up. My pins came up onto the shoulder and the arrow was away.
I saw the arrow hit the spot and the ram disappear. Shane looked at me and said the shot was good as he saw the mark as the ram ran off.
We waited the half hour for the nerves to settle and to take it all in again. This is where it is great to have a fellow bow hunter go through the experience with you.
We marked the place where the shot was taken from and the mark where the animal was standing. The distance was 25 meters on the button.
I found my arrow and the blood told us a positive story, yet we found no blood spoor. We followed the spoor of the hooves for about 50 meters and found the first droplets. 150 meters down from where I had taken the shot we found the ram. What a feeling, what a high to achieve this after all this time.
The equipment used.
Mathews DXT 65 pounds
100 grain NAP Spitfire
500 grain Easton arrow
A big thanks to Shane my fellow bow hunter, friend and PH and Swartland our tracker and skinner for being so good on the spoor. Attatched is a photo from the mountain where the hunt took place and of coarse the Mountain Reedbuck ram. Horn measurement was 6.5 inch.
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