Harkerville Hike

 One of the most beautiful hikes, but also one with the most extreme hill climb at the end of day one.

Vicky Wes - Unplugged

When I bought my .243 Rifle for springbuck hunting back in 2012, I had serious intentions of doing some on-foot hunting and therefore selected a rifle with low weight and the least add-ons. Even the silencer, a Hunt-Buddy from Silent Hunter, was selected for it's small size and low weight.

Me and Jors talked a lot about this and planned trips for doing just this - hunting springbuck on foot. As life goes, such a trip never took place at that time unfortunately.

To be honest, in the past 9 years, there were several occasions where I regretted my choice, for example the thin barrel of the rifle that heats up very quickly and starts throwing around lead all over the place after 5 to 6 closely consecutive shots. This was mainly at shooting comps where me and Tiaan (my son) had to shoot with the same rifle and had to fire 10 shots in under 5 minutes. The person shooting second, always got  a bit of a raw deal, missing the gongs on 300 and 350 meters unintentionally.

Well, I finally got my on-foot-springbuck hunt, thanks to my friend Ruhan who organized this for us with Danny in Victoria West. 

I rode with the bike up to Uniondale where we met and drove the rest of the way with Ruhan's bakkie.

The "Fat Lady" - fully loaded

Stopped at Joubertina for a quick coffee:

Driving  through the harsh and barren Karoo with great music and vibe.

Ready for the hunt on foot - a first for me

For a long time, we tracked a small herd of springbuck led by a magnificent chocolate-coloured ram. After covering several kilometres, we eventually lost the herd and decided to head off in a new direction.

As we passed through a gap between two koppies, we spotted this young ram.

We had agreed beforehand that I would take the first shot when the opportunity presented itself. The shooting position was incredibly uncomfortable, and a healthy dose of "bokkoors" (buck fever) certainly didn't help. As a result, it took me three shots before I finally brought the ram down. 🙈 (first two shots were clear misses 🙈🙈)

After removing the intestines, Ruhan brewed us a fine cup of coffee, which we enjoyed in the welcome shade of a Karoo bush.

The Blesbok Saga:

The next day, our host, Danny, wanted to shoot a blesbok to process into mince for the freezer. We decided to accompany him, with the plan of getting dropped off somewhere in the veld to hunt springbuck on foot as we made our way back home.

We drove for quite some time before finally spotting the herd of blesbok, numbering around 26 animals. The closest we could get, still left Danny with a shot of more than 450 metres. Combined with a strong crosswind, it was far from an easy shot—even for someone of Danny's experience.

I watched the shot through my telescope and saw the blesbok leap high into the air. For a split second, I thought I saw blood around its mouth. Then, as if nothing had happened, it took off with the rest of the herd.

We followed the herd, hoping to spot any sign of the wounded animal. The blesbok kept their distance from the bakkie, and although we searched the ground carefully wherever they had passed, we found no blood or any other indication of a hit. They had become thoroughly spooked and eventually, the herd disappeared over a series of koppies, and Danny decided not to pursue them any further.

Ruhan and I climbed off the bakkie with our rifles and set off on foot, eager to begin our springbok hunt while Danny headed back to the farmhouse.

I couldn't shake the image of the blood I thought I had seen after Danny's shot, and I kept mentioning it to Ruhan. In the end, we decided to head in the direction where the herd had disappeared.

It wasn't long before we caught up with them. The blesbok were now standing against the side of a koppie, about a kilometre away. At that distance, it was impossible to tell whether any of the animals had been wounded.

We switched into full walk-and-stalk mode, making use of every bit of cover the veld offered to close the gap. Before long, we came across an erosion donga, which allowed us to approach the herd unseen. The wind was also perfectly in our favour, blowing steadily from the blesbok towards us.

Eventually, we worked our way to within about 300 metres of the herd. From there, we carefully examined each animal for any sign of blood. Using the 20× magnification on my rifle scope, I methodically searched every blesbok, but still couldn't identify a wounded one.

Just as we were about to give up and move on, I finally spotted it. The blood was visible only on one side of its mouth, and it must have been standing with that side turned away from us the entire time.

This one was Ruhan's. With his trusty 7×57 (boere mauser), he placed a perfect, humane kill shot, bringing the wounded blesbok's journey to a swift and respectful end.

We then hiked to higher ground in search of a cellphone signal so we could call Danny to come and collect the animal. 

When Danny arrived, the sun was already sinking behind the Karoo koppies, casting a warm golden glow across the veld and bringing an unforgettable day of hunting to a fitting close.

 

Saturday Night Galjoen braai:

Special treat from Ruhan again. 🤩🤩

Mission: The Chocolate Springbuck:

With only one day of hunting remaining, Ruhan had his sights set on one animal—the magnificent chocolate-coloured springbok ram we had been tracking the first day. After clearing it with Danny, our hunt became a mission.

Early the next morning, we set off on foot once again, determined to first find and then track that very same herd.

Cover was scarce, and the herd made sure to stay well beyond shooting range. For most of the morning, we followed them across the Karoo, covering many kilometres without ever getting close enough for a shot opportunity.

By midday, the wind had picked up, and the herd sought shelter at the foot of a koppie. Some of the animals laid down, completely relaxed and unaware of our presence.

It was time for a bold move.

Instead of approaching them directly, we first hiked away from the herd before making a wide circle around the koppie. Our plan was to approach from the opposite side, using the high ground to look down on the herd from above. The detour took nearly two hours, and throughout the hike we had to pay constant attention to the wind, making sure it stayed in our favour. One wrong move, and the mission would be over.

Then it happened.

As we rounded a bend, a springbok ram was suddenly standing no more than 20 metres in front of us. We all froze. For a few long seconds, neither we nor the ram moved.

Then, in a flash, he exploded into motion. Fortunately, he bolted away at an angle rather than in the direction we were heading.

We looked at each other. Was he one of "our" herd? If he was, our carefully planned stalk might be over.

After nearly two hours, we finally reached the top of the koppie. We had no idea whether the herd was still below us, having lost sight of them for almost the entire detour.

Slowly, we eased our heads above the rocks and peered down the slope. There they were. Part of the herd was still feeding peacefully below us—but there was no sign of the chocolate-coloured ram.

We began a careful search. We edged to the right, took another look, then moved back to the left and scanned the herd again. Still nothing.

We shifted to a new position farther to the right and searched every bush and every animal through our binoculars and rifle scopes.

Then Ruhan whispered, "I've got him."

The ram was lying down behind a bush. All that was visible was his head and horns.

There was no need to rush now. We had time on our side.

Carefully, we worked our way into position between a large rock and a large Karoo bush, giving us both concealment and a solid rest. The ram was well within range.

Ruhan did not want to rush the shot. Instead, he would wait for the chocolate-coloured ram to stand up and present a clear, ethical target.

So we settled back and simply waited.

The hard work was behind us. The long stalk, the planning, the two-hour detour around the koppie, and the careful approach had all paid off. We knew the mission was 95% complete.

It was one of those rare moments when there was nothing left to do but sit in silence and appreciate where we were. The vast Karoo stretched out before us, and time seemed to stand still.

About half an hour later, the chocolate-coloured ram rose to his feet for one last time.

Ruhan was ready.

The shot broke the silence, finding its mark exactly where it needed to. The ram dropped instantly—a clean, humane end to an unforgettable hunt and the perfect conclusion to our Karoo adventure.

One last "kuier" with some nice snacks .

Visiting Caveman building site from the past: