African Hunt: The Greater Kudu, one of the most sought after trophies on the African continent.
The Greater Kudu or Greater Kudu is perhaps the most emblematic of the spiral horned antelopes. It was immortalized by Hemingway in "The green hills of Africa" with the nickname of "Gray ghost".
It was October, near the end of the dry season. The Greater Kudù is an animal with almost nocturnal habits, while during the day it seeks shelter from the sun and suffocating heat, in the shade of wooded areas, especially along the banks of rivers. It moves during the early hours of the day and evening, so hunting is increasingly difficult and requires great attention: slow walking is essential.
We left early one morning in the old Land Rover with Erwin Jeske, my guide, traveling over the hills in the western territory of Namibia. During the trip, we came across large herds of Springbok, a gazelle with surprising agility, some warthogs and many Oryxes.
We arrived near a dry river bed and decided to get out of the vehicle and walk up the side of the mountain with the wind in our face. The sun had risen and a yellowish tint covered the dry landscape. Suddenly we heard a noise coming from below the side and Erwin was indicating to look down, but time to turn and the only thing we could see was a white tail disappearing into the bush.
From there we proceeded with more caution. An hour later, after skirting the side, we went down near the bush and, just at that moment Erwin stopped, pointed his finger at the trees and whispered: "it's a boy". I could not see anything, as the bush was too dense and the play of light and shadow confused the view.
I tried to see something, but at that point Erwin approached me and oriented my head with his hands to indicate the exact spot. It was under the shade of an acacia, with spiral horns and a coat with gray with thin ash-white streaks. I remembered Hemingway and his gray ghost.
He hadn't heard us and continued to eat the acacia leaves, moving slowly, as if he were following a choreography for a ballet. Erwin told me that the distance was too great and that the bush would not allow for a clean aiming. He decided to change his position, being careful not to make too much noise.
Erwin planned to go around the animal to find a better spot to crouch and point the animal. It was a unique opportunity, we couldn't miss it. The males, with the exception of the mating period, spend the rest of the year alone or in groups of three specimens at the most. In this period they become even more suspicious and continuously check the territory around them, taking many breaks between one drink and another or while they are eating.
The specimen we were hunting was a big, solitary male, a tough guy. Erwin had told us that it was a specimen 150 cm tall and weighing about 250 kg. I don't know how he could make certain estimates, since the first time we saw the antelope it was practically hidden in the bush. Yet Erwin was sure. On the other hand, in all the hunting trips in which he had accompanied me he had never made a mistake.
All that confidence and confidence in one's hunting skills had impressed me on occasion to the point that I thought there was something magical driving Erwin. I believe in Erwin no one ever, in their life, has ever said to him "You were wrong".
We were near a rocky promontory and we decided to go up to get a better view and, above all, to prevent the animal from sniffing or hearing us. We started the climb, but it was interrupted by a family of baboons, screaming in anger. Once again we changed direction, but the 0 am sun made itself felt. I no longer saw the Greater Kudu, but Erwin told me that we would soon see him. Finally we stopped and took our place on a ledge of the promontory. It was a position sheltered from the sun and wind.
We lay down on the ground and Erwin immediately took the binoculars and looked in the direction of the clearing where the Kudu was. The distance that separated us was about 130 meters. The Kudu was under a thorny tree, he seemed asleep. We decided to go down again; the sun was now high and the heat was becoming more and more difficult to bear. We reached a point about eighty meters from the Kudu.
Erwin was right, a spectacular adult male. He ordered me to hide in the tall grass and take up the rifle. I got down on my knees, and aimed at the animal. The telescope reticle framed the large antelope perfectly. Point to the heart. One shot. I fire.
The explosion of the Mannlicher 8X68S was deafening. Time seemed to begin to pass slowly. I thought tens of seconds had passed from the shot to the impact. When I saw the animal fall to the ground, I came back to myself. We waited a few minutes and then we approach the trophy which lay helpless.
Erwin smiled at me. He never paid me a compliment since he took me hunting with him. This time he gave me a pat on the shoulder and I was happy more for that gesture than for the conquered prey.
DM's story