Trying Something Different

Hunting with a rifle has always been a passion and that won’t change, but with all the modern gadgets and technology I decided I need a new challenge.
This challenge was to purchase a bow and hunt on foot with it, ‘Walk and Stalk.”
I’ve sat for many days in a blind with clients and sent many trophies back to the USA with avid bow hunters, but we never got to hunt on foot with the bow. The main reason for this is that trying to get one person into bow range is hard enough, but two is almost impossible.
The other reason is that a client flying halfway round the world wants to take something home with them and that chance is very slim. Therefore, most people hunt from a blind to maximize opportunity.
I spoke to a very good friend and even better bow hunter, and he mentioned that he was selling his Bowtech, which could be customized to fit me. Without a second thought I bought it and everything else required to make the package complete.
We met in town and I picked up my new challenge. Bow, arrows, field points and some three blade broadheads. Then I started to practice. A forty-meter range set up in the garden with a good backstop behind the target. I was coming right even managing to do my first Robin Hood.
I don’t need another Robin Hood, as it does get quite costly.
I was not keen on shooting further than forty meters as the challenge was to get in close, preferably under thirty, but forty was there as a confidence builder. A number of my good friends heard that I had given myself this challenge and I was kindly offered to hunt a number of different species with my bow. Most of which I am still trying to get.
One morning I headed out to one of these properties in search of kudu or duiker. I had no expectations of going home with anything as I know that you will have more unsuccessful days than successful trying to hunt the way I wanted.
As I drove into the property, I saw a small herd of kudu walking on a dam wall and thought this was going to be where I would start. I picked up my good friend and host and explained where I had seen them.
We drove down a small jeep track until we were about five hundred meters from the dam. Parked under a tree and readied ourselves. I would hunt with the bow, and my friend would bring a rifle just in case I made a mistake.
I donned all my clothing so that I resembled a bush and we slowly made our way forward. Heart beating strongly in my chest with the constant voice in my head asking, was I ready for this?
As we got closer, I moved forward alone hoping to find an old kudu cow or bull whose horns were not to a good level for a breeding bull. Even though bulls on this property were free roaming, meaning one day they were there and the next they could be on a different property.
I got to where I had seen them by edging forward and watching every step I took. Avoiding every twig which may give me away. The wind was perfect, and I told myself they must be just ahead of me.
Nothing. The grey ghost had vanished.
But then about sixty meters ahead of me I caught a movement by a bush. I needed to move forward undetected to give myself a chance. Slowly moving in I got to twenty-five meters. I then realized that the kudu was a heifer and not what we wanted to take off.
I would leave her undisturbed to carry on with her day. As I turned, I noticed something was wrong. I raised my binoculars and gave her a second look. With this I saw that she was struggling to eat as it looked like she had a broken jaw. This was not something I could leave.
I moved out quietly and told my friend what I had found.
He said he would move forward and shoot it with the rifle. I disagreed and said I would like to harvest this with the bow. We agreed and I made my way back to get a shot.
She was still there in the same place and completely unaware of my return. I waited for a moment for her to turn broadside.
As she did, I drew back my arrow, placed the twenty-meter pin slightly higher than the point I believed would hit the spot and released.
The arrow stuck right on the shoulder, penetrating only about four or five inches. With this she turned but her shoulder was broken. I quickly put another arrow in and released with the point of aim being slightly behind the shoulder. This time the arrow went straight through. She didn’t even make five meters, and she fell.
The second arrow had taken out her lungs which showed on the arrow when I found it about thirty meters away from where it had passed through.
The thought went through my mind as I looked at my first bow kill, “this isn’t that difficult”.
On inspection the poor kudu had a broken jaw, possibly from misjudging a fence jump and was also blind in her left eye. I had some serious help on my side to have this for my first bow stalk. Nevertheless it was good to have been able to end her suffering, which would have ended in a much more stressful death. How wrong could I have been with my thought of it being easy. I’ve been busted at close range, string jumped when the quarry had no idea I was there and walked many kilometers to end with nothing. If I was dependent on what I shot for food I would have starved to death by now but luckily, I do it for the challenge and not just for the meat.
I have a number of wonderful animals which I intend on harvesting with my bow and hopefully one will make a good story for you all to read about in the future, but for now I’m happy with my first archery kill.