After what seemed like an eternity in lockdown we were happy to be contacted by Philipp Schulz for a hunting trip near the end of September. We last hunted with Philipp in 2012, so we were excited to hunt again and catch up.
High on the list was what many people refer to as the “poor man’s leopard hunt” – the bushpig and the elusive caracal hunted with hounds. Philipp, a patient and disciplined hunter, managed to get his bushpig on the first night after a two and a half hour sit. The next morning was followed up by a beautiful caracal male, and later on a female caracal too. Once the difficult animals were out of the way, we spent time looking for a mature impala ram. We spotted a strong ram, with great horn shape and a healthy body. What an awesome hunt! Next time we’re going to do it all over again with a bow.
Philipp sent me some of the progress photos of his mounts (which he did himself). Looking good. Check his work out at Blue Duiker Taxidermy
Martin Kemp, a long-time loyal client who often comes to the Eastern Cape for a little break, managed to harvest this brute of a pig that displays all the traits and characteristics of an old coastal pig. His flight landed in East London late afternoon, and he rushed down to Port Alfred to make it in time just before the bushpig’s evening feeding time. We slowly walked in to about 150m from the baiting station where we were able to sit on a ridge that gave us a good view of the site, and also allowed us to maintain a decent distance away in case of any swirling winds.
Martin had got himself into a comfortable resting position after his long journey and looked like he had settled in for a long evening wait. It wasn’t even 20 minutes, and I heard the crack of a breaking branch about 200m to my right, and within 2 minutes saw the dark silhouette of the pigs moving onto the bait. We gave them 3 minutes feeding time and then made the stalk, taking the shot at 50m away. A content Martin was still able to go home at a reasonable hour and enjoy a relaxing braai with the family. Happy wife, happy life! Next time we give it a go with the bow. Let’s hope it goes as smoothly as this one did!