Matsuri Safaris June 2019

[AntlerCollector]

Great thread. Congrats on some really awesome animals. Thank you for not being 20' behind your animals in these pics too.

[tommy1005]

Sable
For this one the day started earlier than normal and we loaded up to head to another ranch about an hour away. Kristen and Thomas rode in the cab of the Landcruiser with Van, and the tracker, Stuart, and I with Koos, the best tracking dog ever, loaded in the bed. It was about 42 degrees that morning, so we all made sure to be bundled up and got at close the cab as we could for the drive, most of which was by dirt road, with a little blacktop mixed in.

We got to the gate at the other ranch about 7:30, Stuart got in to drive and Van hopped in the bed with me, our tracker, and a worker from the other ranch, and we headed in. The terrain and vegetation at this ranch was completely different, mostly consisting of Baobab trees and thick Mopani trees, which made it difficult to see much off the road. We saw fresh tracks just inside the gate, which was a good sign, and we were off.

We started driving up and down the roads and saw some impala, golden wildebeest, and kudu. Finally after about an hour we spotted the first Sable bulls, two young bulls crossing the road. As we kept driving around the backside of the block where they came out of, we spotted a really good bull about 30 yards into the brush. I quickly pulled the rifle out and settled it, but there was a thick limb right through his vitals, so I wasn’t able to take the shot, and by the time I’d gotten low enough in the truck to get under the branch, he was gone. Words can’t describe the majesty of watching these antelope walk nonchalantly across the road and through the brush.

We decided to try to put a stalk on him, even though the wind wasn’t exactly perfect. Walking among the Mopani trees on the fallen leaves is extremely challenging for stalking, and we walked about a mile following the tracks before coming back out on another road without ever seeing him again. We called Stuart to come pick us up and started driving again. We drove for another hour or so without seeing another Sable, so we pulled around to the barn and picked up some alfalfa to put out.

We began to salt the roads with the alfalfa and came to one of their really nice bow setups and put some in the trough there to try to draw them out of the brush. We then made a big loop and came back about 30 minutes later to no sightings except for one of the breeder bulls with a tag in his ear, so we stopped about 1000 yards short of the bow setup with the wind in our faces and began quietly walking down the road. As we neared the clearing where the bow blind was, we saw movement and got setup in the sticks. When we finally got a good look, it was another of the breeder bulls, so we just stood there and watched him walk off into the brush.

We then drove to the back of the ranch to look at some different areas. About noon I was starting to feel a little down at not having seen a Sable and very few other animals in a couple of hours, and I started thinking this was never going to happen. We made the decision to head back towards the camp area to find a shade tree to have lunch under. As we made the final left turn to head towards the camp at the front of the ranch, we looked behind us and there was a good bull standing in the road about 250 yards behind us.

We quickly turned the Landcruiser around and headed to where he walked into the brush. We got a good long look at him as he stood about 40 yards off the road facing dead away. He was definitely what I was looking for, so I settled the rifle on him. Kristen and Thomas were still in the cab and Stuart told them “ears, ears” since he knew this was going to happen quickly, but apparently they didn’t realize what he was saying and failed to put the ear muffs on. He finally turned broadside about 50 yards into the brush, directly behind some thin brush. Van whispered “shoot” so I squeezed, aimed at where his shoulder would be and saw him hunch up and bolt. We knew he was hit hard, so climbed out of the truck and took up the track. About 40 yards later we came to a clearing and continued following the blood trail. Another 25 yards or so and we rounded a bush and there he laid. The emotion of the moment can’t be described as I stood in awe of such a magnificent animal.

They all went back to the truck to cut a path to him as I stayed sort of awe struck and placed my hands on him in solitude. One of the animals that prior to coming I thought would be a pipe dream, was actually down. Again, having my wife and son with me, made it all the more enjoyable and truly a once in a lifetime animal was headed to the salt with another well placed shot from dad’s 375. We

quickly took pictures, loaded him up, and headed back for the hour drive home. This time though, it was about 75 degrees and we had a Sable taking up the entire bed, so we had to ride in the high rack. Apparently Sable are known for hide slip, so this would be a much faster drive than the ride in the morning. Luckily I had my sunglasses with me, so I put them on and took off my hat as we raced to get him to the skinning shed. Nothing quite like 60kph with nothing to deflect the wind in front of you. We got back around 2 and Thomas wanted to fish in the water storage tank, so we got him a cane pole and some worms and were able to catch a few fish and drink a cold beer or 2 and take the afternoon just to relax for a little bit. A perfect ending to a surreal day.

[tommy1005]

Great thread. Congrats on some really awesome animals. Thank you for not being 20' behind your animals in these pics too.

That’s gotta be one of my biggest pet peeves with pictures. I like to have my hands on the animals whenever possible.