Hunting For Zebra, But Let's See What Else Jumps Out Of The Bush

Hunt for Springbok

The afternoon of May 27 we returned to Fanie’s father’s property to hunt zebra. This particular ecosystem was dominated by grass species about 2 – 3 feet high, interspersed with small and large thorny shrubs and small trees. Willie was the professional hunter and Samson the tracker. The tracker dog-in-training, Magnum, who normally accompanied us, was with another group that day. We dismounted from the Toyota Land Cruiser, and as we walked about 150 yards into the grassy plain, we saw several springbok; one was a mature male. Because I was hunting for a zebra, Willie said, “Are you interested in the springbok?”, and I nodded. Thus, we began stalking the springboks by crouching through the grasses until we approached a shrub line where we could remain out of sight of the game. Willie and Samson checked the wind direction, and we walked accordingly, Willie keeping the field glasses on the springbok through the shrubs. The wind shifted, and so we walked back in the direction from which we came. We decided to crouch and wait to see where the animals were headed. After a minute or so, the three springboks lay down in the tall grasses about 80 yards away, and it was very difficult to see them. In fact we could see only one female as she occasionally raised her head. We sat and waited for about 10 minutes as Willie kept watching with binoculars.

Eventually, they all got up, and quickly went behind evergreen shrubs, where they ambled around and behind their screen for some time. All the while Willie as watching the movement of their legs visible beneath the small tree/shrub line, trying to determine which was the male. Twice I could have had a shot, but the male did not reveal itself long enough to get set up. Willie was kneeling in front of me and I was kneeling just behind. The he said, “place the gun on my shoulder and get ready.” Earlier I had tried to view the animals from my sitting position, but the grasses were too high, and I could not get a clear view. So, it would have to be from a kneeling position, because standing up would have exposed us to the springboks which were now about 100 yards away. My knee joints started to get sore, but there was no other good choice position. After a few more minutes, the three animals started to walk back and forth, and sometimes into my view through the scope of my gun. Willie pointed out the male. I said “I see him,” and I placed the gun on Willies’ left shoulder. He said “Take it,” and I steadied my aim, released the safety and shot. All the animals (there were also six impala in the area) scattered, including the springbok I shot in the stomach. (Six to eight inches to the left and I would have hit the heart and lungs.) We approached where the springbok was standing when it was hit, and we walked over to a shrub area that lined the grassy plain, and saw it lying down, facing us. Although seriously wounded, the springbok got up and ran away as we approached. Our tracker, Samson, took over. He picked up the blood trail in the grasses, and after about 10 – 15 minutes of zigzag tracking through the tall grass and shrubs, we approached the springbok lying in the tall grasses, but it was still not quite dead. It lifted its head and attempted to get up again. Willie said to shoot it again; I did and the gemsbok died instantly. We carried my trophy to the road and waited until Samson retrieved the Toyota. We took pictures of the trophy, and loaded the springbok on to the Land Cruiser. I paused a few minutes to take photos of the grassy landscape and Baobab trees. We returned to Thaba Mmoyo camp at about 6:00 p.m. The hunt for a zebra would be put off until later in the safari.

Hunt for Gemsbuck

Just after daybreak on May 28, Willie, who was my professional hunter, Samson our tracker, and I, departed Thaba Mmoyo camp for the 20min drive to a ranch abundant with Gemsbuck. Soon we saw a small herd, and Willie and I got out of the truck, and walked and stalked. For about 10 minutes we crawled on hands and knees, Willie in the lead as he kept seeing one male Gemsbuck through his binoculars as it moved in and out of view among the dense vegetation. However, after a while the gemsbok disappeared among the dense vegetation. Nearby monkeys gave warning calls, and as a result all the Gemsbuck in the area took off. We watched a few of them quickly depart. We returned to the truck and rode for a while until we spotted a couple of gemsbok in the bush about 200 yards away. We got back on the ground and stalked them. After about 10 minutes of stalking, Willie saw them at a distance through the varied plants. He determined the direction that they were moving, and set us up in an area where I could maybe have shot. In a short while one gemsbok moved left to right across a narrow clearing at 100+ yards away. Willie set the tripod stick in the sandy soil, and I rested my Browning a-bolt (Winchester short magnum, 165 grain bullets) on the tripod and focused down through the clearing. Another male Gemsbuck stared crossing in the same direction as the first one, and Willie said shoot if you can. I released the safety and shot, and the Gemsbuck dropped immediately, although not quite yet dead. We hurried to approach it lying on the ground, and it was still moving its legs and head, so Willie said shoot it again. I did and the gemsbok died. Its horns were about three feet long. We took pictures, loaded my trophy on the truck, and returned to camp. It was only 8:30 a.m. Thanks to Thaba Mmoyo, I was afforded the opportunity to a successful Gemsbuck hunt .

Hunt for Zebra

At daybreak on May 29 we departed Thaba Mmoyo and drove for a little over an hour to the potato farm area where the farmer, Danie Fick, owned much of the adjacent natural bush veldt. My objective that day was to shoot a Zebra. At first, we saw quite a few different plains game species, and individuals, but few Zebras. The animals we saw included Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Steenbuck, Kudu and maybe a couple more. shoot a Zebra. At first, we saw quite a few different plains game species, and individuals, but few Zebras. The animals we saw included Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Steenbuck, Kudu and maybe a couple more. Then we spotted a small herd of zebras. Willie, my professional hunter, and I, quickly dismounted the vehicle, and slowly crouched towards the hidden Zebras as Willie observed through binoculars. After a while, one Zebra, which Willie thought was a male because of its large size, presented itself among high shrubs, and was quartered towards us at about 100 yards away. Willie, an experienced professional hunter was used to seeing animals in this ecosystem, but at first I had difficulty seeing the Zebra in its camouflaged background. However, Willie placed the tripod and said to shoot. I quickly set my Browning A-bolt on the tripod, and finally saw the target trough my scope. It was partially hidden by the tall shrubs and small trees. I aimed, released the safety and shot. We all heard the bullet hit the Zebra, but it was not an immediate killing shot, and the wounded animal bounded away with all the others that were nearby.

Before the hunt, we had picked up an additional tracker from the farmer whose adjacent land we were hunting. So we now had both our tracker, Samson, and one additional. We all walked to the location where the Zebra had been standing when it was hit, and the two trackers proceeded to look for the track of the wounded animal. There had been numerous Zebras in that area, and the tracks went in all directions when I shot. After a while, the trackers expertly located that of the wounded zebra. They found blood on the grasses and ground, and proceeded in that direction. Willie and I followed them, also observing the sign. The trackers noticed that one leg and foot was dragging in the sandy soil, so it was now obvious that I hit a front shoulder. Actually, we later learned that the bullet entered one front leg near the shoulder and smashed into and broke the other front leg which dragged as the zebra kept ahead of us.

The trackers jumped the Zebra once and lost it again in the high grasses and shrubs. We proceeded in the direction that the wounded Zebra ran. Willie let the tracker dog-in-training, Magnum, loose, and the dog ran ahead and jumped the Zebra. We were within 50 yards of it as it ran away, again, and Willie said “shoot it in the ass.” I quickly shot offhand, and the Burchell's zebra dropped dead; it was a large female. The time was about 8:30 a.m.

For the next hour, we arranged the dead Zebra, took pictures and used a winch system on the Toyota Land Cruiser to load the Zebra onto the truck. Before placing the dead Zebra on the truck, we found the first bullet sticking backwards out of the skin of the broken leg. Apparently, as the bullet entered the left front leg, it advanced to the bone of the right front leg, and the bullet turned 180 degrees and stuck out the skin backwards. I retrieved the mashed bullet as a souvenir of the hunt.

One of the educational benefits of being in South Africa is the opportunity to observe unique ecosystems. Each of the five or six subsets of the bush veldt that we hunted that week had a different set of dominant plants and soil type.

Although I did not have the time to learn the ecology, before departing the area, I took numerous photographs of the unique natural ecosystem that I would enjoy and show to others when I returned home to the United States. Pictures of Baobab trees taken that week at numerous locations and different times of day are my favorites. Afterwards, we transported the additional tracker back to his place of work, and Willie, Samson and I (plus dog and dead Zebra) returned to Thaba Mmoyo in time for lunch.

I had successfully hunted at Thaba Mmoyo three years earlier, and Willie was my professional hunter at that time, also. This year, one of my main objectives was to bring home a Zebra rug. It is a credit to Willie and Thaba Mmoyo that they placed me on a handsome trophy that I will enjoy when it arrives from the taxidermist.

Story By: Michael J. Sebetich