It was arranged. A group of five family members would head to the Eastern Cape to help reduce the springbok numbers on a low fenced stock farm. With sheep, goats and springbok on the property this was necessary as they would all be competing for the same food.
We would be wanting to take off between 40-50 animals to ensure that there would be enough grazing for the remaining animals over the winter which was quickly showing its head. With temperatures dropping and days being short.
There would be no discrimination between males and females. Whichever stood nicely for the hunter would be taken. The carcasses would be taken, as orders for venison had been given by non-hunters wanting healthy meat for the freezer. Nothing on this hunt was going to waste, with the fifth quarter (offal) was to be taken to a large cat rehabilitation centre as a food donation for their animals.
The plan would be for the hunters to be placed out with comfortable shooting chairs designed especially for this job. They would be given an arc of fire which they would stick to and wait for the buck to come past. Keeping the animals on the move would be the job of the horseman. He would not chase the herds but just move around, making his presence known to the buck which would move them on without spooking them too much.
The ground was mainly flat grassland with some low ridges. All the arcs of fire would be towards the boundary fence for safety reasons as nobody wants a stray bullet passing them unexpectedly. Luckily enough it was not the hunter’s first hunt and they were exceptionally careful. Which is a great relief for an organiser as nobody needs an accident in their hunting career.
There was an array of calibres to be used on the day. Everything from .222 through to 308Win, and predominantly manufactured by Howa. There was one similarity between all the rifles though. This was that they were all topped with Rudolph Optics scopes. Not particularly familiar with this glass I was looking forward to seeing how I got on with it. I can assure you I was impressed with what I saw. It proved to be great value for money and a great range of optics. The scopes were clear and the dialling turrets worked perfectly as they should. The range finder binoculars were also very impressive and proved their importance at the end of the day.
We arrived at the hunting area and the guns were taken to their allocated places. The horseman put on his florescent bib and we were good to go. The springbok were spread around the area calmly watching the strange goings on. A couple of reasonably sized herds could be seen and some smaller groups and individual rams standing out in the open too.
As the horse started on its way towards the springbok, they began to do as intended, move slowly and calmly towards the guns.
All the guns had suppressors on so it was difficult to know when a shot had been fired but when watching with the bino’s you saw their reaction which proved someone had fired. Standing within the arc of fire you would suddenly see them jump and run. Leaving one of their kind behind on most occasions.
These guys could shoot and knew their stuff. The wind was picking up, but still they continued to drop springbok out to 350 yards by dialling for wind and distance. It was very enjoyable to watch.
We had two days to hunt so there was no rush. We stopped for lunch. A feast of venison sausage barbequed in the river bed over thorn tree coals. During which time we discussed what the plan was for the afternoon. Very similar to the morning to be honest I told them.
There was a slight change in the weather after lunch. Not to the positive side, but an increase in the wind speed which would continue until the end of play for the first day.
Total count for day one was 19 dead, none wounded. Which in my opinion was good going for the conditions especially when you saw the shot placement. A number of head shots and the rest were perfectly on the shoulder.
On day two we were met with slightly lower wind speeds at the start but the forecast was for near on gale force as the day went on. We would need to get as many in the bag as early as we could, was the feeling from all involved. We quickly got into our positions and the hunt was underway once again.
This time one of the guns would stay with me. I was also going to be moving the springbok around but using my vehicle instead of the horse. This I was quite keen on as I would get to see how their optics would give them an increased advantage when used correctly and together in these difficult conditions.
The springbok now had a good idea of our intentions and were on the move as soon as we started. Rarely standing still for long. Even with this I could see the guys were having some success but we knew we had to make it to at least 40 to make the hunt successful.
The client with me asked if it was ok if he got on the back of the hunting vehicle and shot from there as it was a cull and numbers were needed. I agreed and he climbed on the back and made himself comfortable. We would work together on this. I had his Rudolph range finder binoculars, so could quickly tell him the distances so he could dial for the exact distance. We soon came across our first ram. He was slowly walking towards us and was unaware of our presence due to the sun being directly behind us. I got him in the bino’s, pressed the button on the top which brought the ranger finder into use. One more press of the button and we had him at 256 yards. This was quickly relayed and the dials were done. Watching through the bino’s the shot went off. He dropped where he had stood. We had decided not to go for the head due to the wind but looking at the shot placement we could have quite easily. It was exactly where it had been intended, perfectly in the engine room.
After this another six fell to our combined effort of ranging and shooting. The time began to run out and contacting the other guns we agreed we had had a good day and all had had some sport. Total bag at the end was 42 springbok dead with none wounded.
All in all it was a success. I was very impressed with the Rudolph optics range and if you are in the market for a new scope for your rifle it is worth having a look at what they have to offer. The range finder bino’s were also good value for money and ranged far beyond mine and probably most hunters capabilities of shooting. I think I will be changing some of the glass which is in my gun safe soon.
Hunting and Outdoor Adventures 